Bishop Robert Barron writes that in honoring Saints Peter and Paul, we see two indispensable players, the ones without whom Christianity would never have gotten off the ground. What they held crucially in common was their love for Jesus Christ, a love that brought both of them to their death. They represent two essential archetypes in the life of the Church. Without the creative tension between the two, the Church would not have had the capacity to survive in the course of these two millennia. Peter is the archetype of order and office. Without leadership based upon a clear confession of faith, the Church would have, long ago, fizzled and fallen apart. Peter represents leadership, integrity, form, and structure. Paul represents mission, theology, and evangelization, the outward and energetic dimension of the Church’s life. Paul was the first theologian in the tradition, the first to practice the art of faith seeking understanding. Mind you, this speculative, adventurous, theological effort must be disciplined by Peter; otherwise, it would become unruly and self-defeating. And this is why it is altogether fitting and proper that we celebrate these two great saints together.