This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the two greatest saints — Saints Peter and Paul.

In the beginning, the two were far from perfect. Paul was never a God-fearing, gentle person. Harsh and cruel, he relentlessly oppressed the early Christians, imprisoning them and even supervising their executions, like the stoning to death of the martyr Stephen.

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But God showed his mighty power. As Saul was going to Damascus breathing rage and terror to apprehend the Christians, he was struck down from his horse by a blinding light and heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” the blinded, helpless Saul said. “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”

This became the turning point of Saul’s life, symbolized by the changing of his name to Paul. (Read the detail of his conversion in Acts, chapter 9).

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There are some people who have been asking, “Why does the Lord not “intervene,” like he did with Saul, knocking down some bad people like the corrupt and incorrigible who cause so much sufferings by their crimes to society and families?

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Just why God does not punish evil people “immediately” is discerned from Jesus’ parable of the Wheat and Weeds. (Read Matthew 13, 24-43). “Let the wheat and weeds grow together,” the Lord says. “But at harvest time, collect the weeds first and bundle them up to be burned!” He was referring to the Last Judgment and hell as tormenting punishment for the bad people.

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By choosing Peter and Paul as pillars of his Church, the Lord entrusted the Church he founded in the hands of imperfect humans.

Even after his dramatic conversion, Paul was temperamental and hard to get along with.

And Peter? We all know how he denied ever knowing the Lord thrice at the darkest hours of his Master and death, and how he abandoned him. But when the Lord rose from the dead, he looked for Peter who felt so ashamed of his cowardice and said, “Lord, depart from me for I am a sinful man.” But the Lord put aside Peter’s ignominious cowardice and took him back, choosing him as the solid foundation of the Church and leader of his disciples.

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We, poor mortals can identify with the two great apostles who had their own faults and weaknesses. Knowing that we, too, are imperfect, we can rise from our human failings if only we are sorry for our sins. But it’s not enough simply to say “I’m sorry.” We should make acts of reparation like doing works of charity and resolve to turn our back on the wrong we have done.

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Humor. Jew: “Did you know the Bible says bigamy is all right?” Christian: “No, I believe the Bible is against bigamy.” Jew: “But don't you recall all those Old Testament kings had lots of wives like Solomon?”

Christian: “Yes. But then Jesus Christ came along and told us no man can serve two masters.”

Christian: “And did you know the punishment for bigamy?” “Not only you'll have two masters but two mothers-in-law!” (biyanan).

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A good Samaritan, who came to the scene, called up an ambulance on his cell phone saying, “A woman has been injured,” he reported. “She’s about 39 and appears to be in pain.”

Whereupon, the woman looked up angry and snapped: “Stupid, I’m 30!” (That revived her!).

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