Sts. Peter and Paul

On June 29 the Church celebrates the feast day of Sts.
Peter & Paul. As early as the year 258, there is evidence of an
already lengthy tradition of celebrating the solemnities of both Saint
Peter and Saint Paul on the same day. Together, the two saints are the
founders of the See of Rome, through their preaching, ministry and
martyrdom there. Peter, who was named Simon, was a fisherman of
Galilee and was introduced to the Lord Jesus by his brother Andrew, also
a fisherman. Jesus gave him the name Cephas (Petrus in Latin), which
means ‘Rock,’ because he was to become the rock upon which Christ would
build His Church. Peter was a bold follower of the Lord. He was
the first to recognize that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the
living God,� and eagerly pledged his fidelity until death. In his
boldness, he also made many mistakes, however, such as losing faith when
walking on water with Christ and betraying the Lord on the night of His
passion.Yet despite his human weaknesses, Peter was chosen to
shepherd God’s flock. The Acts of the Apostles illustrates his role as
head of the Church after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Peter
led the Apostles as the first Pope and ensured that the disciples kept
the true faith.St. Peter spent his last years in Rome, leading
the Church through persecution and eventually being martyred in the year
64. He was crucified upside-down at his own request, because he claimed
he was not worthy to die as his Lord. He was buried on Vatican hill, and St. Peter’s Basilica is built over his tomb.St.
Paul was the Apostle of the Gentiles. His letters are included in the
writings of the New Testament, and through them we learn much about his
life and the faith of the early Church.Before receiving the name
Paul, he was Saul, a Jewish pharisee who zealously persecuted Christians
in Jerusalem. Scripture records that Saul was present at the martyrdom
of St. Stephen.Saul’s conversion took place as he was on his way
to Damascus to persecute the Christian community there. As he was
traveling along the road, he was suddenly surrounded by a great light
from heaven. He was blinded and fell off his horse. He then heard a
voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?â€� He answered:
“Who are you, Lord?â€� Christ said: “I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting.�Saul continued to Damascus, where he was baptized
and his sight was restored. He took the name Paul and spent the
remainder of his life preaching the Gospel tirelessly to the Gentiles of
the Mediterranean world.Paul was imprisoned and taken to Rome, where he was beheaded in the year 67.He is buried in Rome in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.In
a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Sts. Peter and
Paul: “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.�