In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
We, in our comfortable North American way of living, seem seldom to reflect upon the life that the apostles lived. We really do not have an awareness of what life was like for the apostles. It is true that both the Apostles Peter and Paul sometimes lived in decent quarters (especially in their earlier years). However, when it came to the time of the preaching of the Gospel, and their witnessing for Christ, they were always living in other peoples’ houses as they travelled from place to place. This was especially the case with the Apostle Paul. He travelled almost everywhere in the Roman Empire for the sake of speaking about his love for our Lord Jesus Christ, as he tried to introduce people to Jesus Christ, as he tried to win them for the Kingdom of God.
Both the Apostles Peter and Paul suffered misunderstanding, and very often rejection, because people did not want to hear about this love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Often enough, it was because Jesus, as they encountered Him, did not fit their expectations of the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. Therefore, they rejected Him. With this rejection, they rejected the apostles as well. Both of the apostles suffered a great deal because, as we hear the Apostle Paul admit, he was shipwrecked many times. This means he was floating around in water, holding on to pieces of wood.
Ships in those days were not like the ships these days, with fancy lifeboats. It was broken pieces of wood that kept the Apostle Paul from sinking into the Mediterranean. Many times, he was put in prison for the sake of his love for Jesus the Christ. As we hear time-and-again in the Epistles, he was beaten, sometimes very severely. Prison life in the Roman Empire was not like it is now. There were no such things as carpets, beds, and televisions. In the days of the Roman Empire, there was straw-and-mess everywhere in the prisons. Often enough, too, there were chains holding the prisoner to the wall, sometimes by the feet, the wrists, and even the neck (and in the course of all this, beatings, beatings and more beatings).
These are the sorts of things that the Apostle Paul suffered for the sake of his love for Jesus Christ. In Canada, you and I are not likely to face that sort of physical suffering for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ (although once in a while it does happen). However, with the Apostle Paul, we will indeed experience rejection by people who are afraid of the love of Jesus Christ.
We may be rejected because we are Orthodox Christians, because everywhere we go, we carry the love of Jesus Christ in us and with us always. Because we live and act out of love for our Saviour Jesus Christ, people who do not understand this can reject us because of their fear of this love. It is odd that people are afraid of love, but that is the case. People become very much afraid of this sort of selfless, serving love which is so characteristic of Christians, especially Orthodox Christians. It is that which people run away from.
That does not stop you or me from loving our Lord Jesus Christ, and it does not stop you or me from serving other people in the same way as our Saviour Jesus Christ. However, we have to understand that our Lord said in more than one way (and more than one time) in the Gospel that if the world is rejecting Him, He being Who He is, it will reject you and me (see Matthew 10:25 ; John 16:2). Therefore, we have to expect this sort of rejection, and yet carry on loving, and praying for, and serving people, regardless.
What happens is that in due course the Lord overcomes the fear of other people, and the fear of being rejected by other people. When we persist and persevere in loving and serving them, the Lord breaks down the barriers of fear that imprison other people. In due course, they are able to come with us to love and serve our Saviour. However, it takes our remembering first of all that none of us is here on this earth to be served. Every one of us is here to serve. Jesus Christ washed the feet of the apostles. The King of the Universe, Himself, is taking care of you and me, down to the numbering of the hairs of our heads. If He is serving you and me in this way, then who are we not to serve in the same way, always? We are not greater than our Master (see Matthew 10:24).
This is why it is especially characteristic of Orthodox Christians that we be hospitable people. We welcome people as guests. We treat people who come to our home as though they were Christ, Himself (see Matthew 10:40 ; John 13:20 ; Hebrews 13:2). We are not hurt people who hurt people. Rather, we are a serving people who are serving people. If people have needs, then we try to meet the needs. Russian and Ukrainian literature is full of stories about people who are doing exactly this : serving and caring for other people. We are being true to the path of our Saviour, Jesus Christ when we are behaving in this way.
The Apostles Peter and Paul are setting a very good example for us. They gave their lives completely to our Saviour, and we should do the same. However, also note that the Apostles Peter and Paul had some strong differences of opinion as to how to go about preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We can see in the writings of the Apostle Paul how strongly he disagreed with the Apostle Peter on some occasions (see Galatians 2:11).
The fact of this disagreement does not mean that they were enemies because they disagreed. They had different opinions. The Lord prospered the multiplication and the spread of the Gospel just because of these different opinions. As usual, He used an unedifying situation to bring much good fruit in reconciliation. These two very different men preached the Gospel in two different ways to different groups of people. They were suited to different evangelical tasks ; and as a result of this, many more people were converted to the love for Jesus Christ than if they had gone about doing their preaching and serving in exactly the same way as always.
True, they had disagreements. In Acts 15:37-39, we see that the Apostle Paul had disagreements with the Apostle Barnabas and with Mark, too, about how to go about things. Still, the disagreements did not mean permanent division. Even though there was disagreement, there was always amongst the apostles reconciliation and harmony. There were differences, to be sure ; but, by the mercy of the Lord, they became co-operative differences.
To illustrate this, we can see in the death of the two Apostles Peter and Paul an expression of their unity and of their harmony. In the same city, Rome, the Apostle Peter was crucified upside down as he wished, and the Apostle Paul was beheaded. This characterises in a very visible way how the Lord, who is the Giver of life, gives so many gifts to His children – to you and to me ; how He creates all of us uniquely and differently ; and how He uses all these uniquenesses, these differences, this variety of gifts, to give life to this world, to heal the broken-hearted, to heal the sick, to re-unite the separated, to bring home the lost, to give life and light where there is darkness. The Lord uses all these gifts in us for the good, to His glory, and for giving life.
In a few short years, this parish will be celebrating a century of witness in this very building, here on this very corner, because of love for Jesus Christ. However, 1904 was not the actual beginning of this parish. This community’s worshipping life is four or five years older than that. This Temple was, glory be to God, consecrated by Archbishop Tikhon, now Saint Tikhon.
Many people have come to our Saviour through the love of Jesus Christ which has been so active over the decades in this community. The Lord is working, and He will continue to work in this community, showing His love, and giving life. More people yet will come to Him, to know His love, and to have life in Him along with us.
Let us ask the holy Apostles Peter and Paul to pray for us today, that the Lord will give us the strength and determination to be faithful to Him until the end as they are, and to serve Him with our whole hearts. With these apostles, may we enter also into the Kingdom, and glorify with them our Saviour Jesus Christ, together with His unoriginate Father, and His all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now, and ever, and unto the ages of ages.