We all know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem because "a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed."
Joseph and Mary, the parents of Jesus, went there to register for the tax.
We also know that many of the early disciples were fishermen. They paid a fish tax to the Roman Empire.
St. Peter met Jesus in a town called Capernaum.
Peter was not originally from Capernaum, but we now know that the fish tax in Capernaum was only half the fish tax in his original home town of Bethsaida.
We also know that Peter operated a large fishing fleet, perhaps the largest in the area, with hired men, that he ran on behalf of his mother-in-law, who is mentioned in the Bible.
The mother-in-law owned a large house in Capernaum, where Jesus often stayed, which is only a few steps from the synagogue in Capernaum, and which is also mentioned in the Bible.
The Bible also tells us that Peter carried a sword and used it in the Garden of Gethsamane.
So there you have it:
St. Peter, the chief disciple and leader of the early Christians, and first Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, was an entrepreneur, a tax refugee, a small business owner, an employer, the inheritor of a family-owned business, and a man who kept and bore arms.
Merry Christmas!
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