This day has been made holy by the passion of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul. We are, therefore, not talking about some obscure martyrs. For their voice has gone forth to all the world, and to the ends of the earth their message. These martyrs realized what they taught: They pursued justice, they confessed the truth, they died for it….
Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching and their confession of faith.
From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop
Office of Readings, June 29
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| Christ Handing the Keys to Saint Peter Pietro Pergino, 1481-82 |
June 29th marks the Feast day of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, patron saints of the Eternal City.
Much of the focus of the festivity is on the Basilica of Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls where liturgical and secular celebrations take place. The Basilica itself stands near the Abazia delle Tre Fontane, where Saint Paul is believed to have been beheaded. It was the largest church in Rome until Saint Peter’s was rebuilt, and it rises over the traditional site of Saint Paul's grave.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.news.va/en/news/feast-of-sts-peter-and-paul+
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| Basilica of Saint Paul's Outside the Walls |
Holy Father’s Prayer Intentions for July
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for July is:
"That everyone may have work in safe and secure conditions".
His mission intention is:
"That Christian volunteers in mission territories may witness to the love of Christ".
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Are we willing and able to suffer to pursue justice and confess the Truth?
Can we give witness to the Faith as it is under attack by a secularized society?Let us pray for and with each other so that we might testify as Paul, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)
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In front of Saint Peter’s Basilica, as is well known, there are two imposing statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, easily recognizable by their respective attributes: the keys in the hand of Peter and the sword held by Paul. Likewise, at the main entrance to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, there are depictions of scenes from the life and the martyrdom of these two pillars of the Church. Christian tradition has always considered Saint Peter and Saint Paul to be inseparable: indeed, together, they represent the whole Gospel of Christ. In Rome, their bond as brothers in the faith came to acquire a particular significance. Indeed, the Christian community of this City considered them a kind of counterbalance to the mythical Romulus and Remus, the two brothers held to be the founders of Rome. A further parallel comes to mind, still on the theme of brothers: whereas the first biblical pair of brothers demonstrate the effects of sin, as Cain kills Abel, yet Peter and Paul, much as they differ from one another in human terms and notwithstanding the conflicts that arose in their relationship, illustrate a new way of being brothers, lived according to the Gospel, an authentic way made possible by the grace of Christ’s Gospel working within them. Only by following Jesus does one arrive at this new brotherhood: this is the first and fundamental message that today’s solemnity presents to each one of us….
And in today’s Gospel there emerges powerfully the clear promise made by Jesus: “the gates of the underworld”, that is, the forces of evil, will not prevail, “non praevalebunt”. One is reminded of the account of the call of the prophet Jeremiah, to whom the Lord said, when entrusting him with his mission: “Behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you!” (Jer 1:18-19). In truth, the promise that Jesus makes to Peter is even greater than those made to the prophets of old: they, indeed, were threatened only by human enemies, whereas Peter will have to be defended from the “gates of the underworld”, from the destructive power of evil. Jeremiah receives a promise that affects him as a person and his prophetic ministry; Peter receives assurances concerning the future of the Church, the new community founded by Jesus Christ, which extends to all of history, far beyond the personal existence of Peter himself.
…Tradition represents Saint Paul with a sword, and we know that this was the instrument with which he was killed. Yet as we read the writings of the Apostle of the Gentiles, we discover that the image of the sword refers to his entire mission of evangelization. For example, when he felt death approaching, he wrote to Timothy: “I have fought the good fight” (2 Tim 4:7). This was certainly not the battle of a military commander but that of a herald of the Word of God, faithful to Christ and to his Church, to which he gave himself completely. And that is why the Lord gave him the crown of glory and placed him, together with Peter, as a pillar in the spiritual edifice of the Church….
…We know that together we are all cooperators of the truth, which as we know is one and “symphonic”, and requires from each of us…a constant commitment to conversion to the one Lord in the grace of the one Spirit. May the Holy Mother of God guide and accompany us always along the path of faith and charity. Queen of Apostles, pray for us!
His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Homily on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June 2012
For the text, please visit:
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| Banias Spring, Caesarea Philippi |
When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son or Man is?”
... Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
“… You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven….”
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| Banias Spring, Caesarea Philippi |
The passages above from the Gospel of Matthew 16: 13-19 acquired new meaning when a pilgrimage brought me to Banias Springs in Caesarea Philippi. It was late winter and the snow melt from Mount Hermon created rushing streams of life-giving water which eventually form the Jordan River. One could easily imagine Jesus and the disciples coming to this refreshing place, twenty miles north of the Sea of Galilee, to be away from the crowds and away from the Pharisees and Sadducees. The place is conducive to the powerful, life-changing conversation Jesus had with Peter and the disciples, and one which the Lord has with each of us who seeks to know, love and serve Him.
“Who do you say that I am?”
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| Mount Hermon |
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| Mount Hermon |
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Please prayerfully consider if the Lord is calling you to a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. For more information, please contact "The Apostolic Lady," Karen Hurley, at k.m.hurley1@gmail.com.
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