June 29.  Sts Peter and Paul. The catechist shared some thoughts, “It is interesting that we celebrate the feasts of Sts Peter and Paul together when they hardly met and worked in different places, Peter with the Jews and Paul with the Gentiles in the many countries he visited.  Paul tells us they spent 15 days together on his first visit to find out first hand about Peter’s knowledge of Jesus. Their second meeting some years later at a council meeting was because of an internal dispute about rules and laws for Jews and for Gentiles to become Christians.  They had agreed that to do their work well it was very necessary that they should meet and discern together. That is ideally what young people and their families have to do too.  

Read Acts of the Apostles Ch 15 to get some background.  Paul writes, “I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days.  Gal 1:19-20. 

Pope Francis:   When seeking to discern our own vocation we should not start with wondering where we could make more money, or achieve greater recognition and social status.  Nor even by asking what kind of work would be most pleasing to us.  We need a different starting point: Do I know myself, apart from my illusions and emotions?  Do I know what brings joy or sorrow to my heart? What are my strengths and weaknesses? These questions lead to others. How can I serve people better and prove most helpful to our world, the Church and society? Do I have the abilities and could I develop them?   Discernment has to do with the meaning of my life before the Father who knows and loves me and with the real purpose of my life, which nobody knows better than he. CV 285