Saint Peter was an uneducated fisherman(1) and had denied Christ 3 times(3)    

Saint Paul had been a persecutor of Christians(2)              

But now are known by Christ and His Church as the:

“Holy, Glorious, All-Praised, and Paramount of the Apostles”(4)

Reflection: 

Saints Peter and Paul were not always the “Paramount of the Apostles”.  Their past was not perfect(5), and yet through repentance in Christ, they reached their fullest potential. Both fulfilled the Image and Likeness of God within them in different ways, since each person created by God is completely unique and irreplaceable.

St Paul had persecuted Christians, and Christ appeared to him and illumined his heart(6). St Peter was not educated and yet, through the Holy Spirit, was able to teach many about the Faith in Christ.  Through Peter, the very same person who made the mistake of denying Christ three times during the Passion and Crucifixion, Christ shows us how repentance can fully restore someone - even closer to God than before, “Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”(7)

Even when we make mistakes, through repentance, Confession, and love for Christ we can be united with Him closer than we previously were.  Our repentance does not simply heal the relationship with God and neighbor, it strengthens it and brings us even closer than we ever were.
How many saints had mistakes(8) in their past(9) and yet, now they are saints(10)? Only Christ is sinless. Miracles of God have been worked and continue to be worked through the imperfect people of the Saints. The Saints are people like us, who chose and kept choosing to live in Christ. As a result Christ lived and worked through them, transforming them into His Light in the world. 

If Christ can take His own persecutor, and an uneducated person who denied Him three times, and transform them into the “Paramount of the Apostles”, imagine what might happen when we allow Christ to transform us by turning to Him in prayer and repentance, even for a moment each day.   

Resources:
1) Matthew 4:18-22 Peter called by Christ
2) Acts 8 Saul Persecuting the Church / Acts 9 Saul Converted into Paul
3) Luke 22:54-62 Peter denies Christ 3 times
4) Read More About Sts Peter and Paul
5) Read the Lives of Sts Peter and Paul
6) Acts 8 Saul Persecuting the Church / Acts 9 Saul Converted into Paul
7) Matthew 16:18
8) Read more about Saint Mary of Egypt
9) Read more about St Fotini the Samaritan Woman
10) Read more about St Mary Magdalene