Biographical Information about Saints Peter and Paul[1]
Readings for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary: (Today I borrow, in part, from the commentary from Fr. Tom Welbers at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Berkley, California)
Reading 1 Acts 12:1-11
The Christian Jews in Jerusalem have fallen from favor, probably due to St. Stephen’s teaching and the subsequent back lash. The execution of St. James marks the beginning of the third persecution of the early Church in Jerusalem, this one from a more formal source.
The liberation of Peter from prison echoes many events of Jewish history (the deliverance of Joseph, Gn 39:21-41:57; the three young men, Dn 3; and Daniel, Dn 6) that consciously reflect the paschal liberation (Ex 12:42). Peter now undergoes the same trial and deliverance as his Master and in his own person becomes a sign of God’s deliverance of his people.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving and a favorite for celebrating the heroic virtue of the saints. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom. Response: "The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him."
Reading II 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Paul is writing from prison at the end of his life. The only deliverance he can expect is death, and he confidently proclaims that it is the greatest deliverance of all. The death of the Christian who has lived and worked in union with the death of Christ through baptism is true release to freedom and glory. The Apostle views this deliverance as an act of worship. At the close of his life Paul could testify to the accomplishment of what Christ himself foretold concerning him at the time of his conversion, "I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name" (Acts 9:16).
Gospel Mt 16:13-19
This passage is often used as a proof text for the primacy of the Pope. It may well be that, but to stop there is to set aside rich insight into our own participation in the mission of the Church. The "power of the keys" is rightly understood as referring to the authority of Peter and his successors in the ministry of leading and unifying the Church, but it also provides us with an image of the mission of the whole Church, ourselves included. The Church is the doorway to God’s kingdom. Each of us as a member of the Church has the power to unlock that doorway — to welcome all we meet, by our spirit of love and forgiveness, into association with us in the kingdom. But we can also close the door of the kingdom to others, excluding them by our attitudes of superiority, prejudice, selfishness, or negligence. As Christians, we have the power to open or to lock the door of God’s kingdom. By our own words and actions we cannot help but exercise this power — one way or the other.
Reflection:
As we think about St. Peter and St. Paul and all they did and endured for the sake of Christ’s mission we cannot help but be drawn to an image the Lord used on many occasions – the Parable of the Seeds. Peter and Paul were indeed like seeds that landed on fertile ground. And if we think about them as being the means by which the Church was founded, that image takes on new meaning for us.
In the beginning, Jesus chose them and flung them at the world. He charged them to take the good news to the people in two totally different ways that merged at the end of their ministries. St. Peter was called from the beginning of Christ’s ministry. He was called first and he was charged by Christ to be the rock upon which the Church would be built. This task was given to him not because he was he was superlatively trained in the classic school of theology (that was St. Paul) nor because he was so charismatic. He was chosen for his deep and abiding faith that was used by God to provide startling insights (although he did have human failings like all of us)
St. Peter’s first mission was to the Jews, the people God chose to reveal himself to from the beginning. It was from this population Jesus came and from it he chose special people to follow him. Following the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter and the rest of the Apostles did their best to bring the good news to the Jews. But as with the Lord himself, they were rejected, forcefully, violently, with extreme prejudice.
St. Peter was an intended victim of this pogrom. It is clear from the story of his rescue from prison that he was being watched over by God. Just when it seemed that the infant Church would be wiped out, an angel of the Lord appeared and, as God has done so many times in human experience, he rescued him from the grip of an authority that intended death for God’s chosen ones.
St. Paul’s story was quite different. Where St. Peter was called from the beginning, St. Paul was called at the end, after the Lord had come and gone in his public ministry on earth. St. Paul, who had authorized the execution of St. Stephen in Jerusalem and was on a mission to complete the eradiation of these “Christians”, was selected as a tool of Jesus as well. He, a classically educated scholar of both Hebrew Scripture and Greek Philosophy, was sent to the Gentiles. The cornerstone rejected by the builders was to be foundational to believers who had not come to faith through the Law of Moses, but by other paths.
St. Peter and St. Paul can be viewed as two germinating shoots of that seed that was to become the giant tree, the Church, which covers the whole world. With its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures, drawing upon that early understanding of God the Just Judge and the new revelation of God through his Son as the God of love, those two budding shoots reached out to the world and brought the life of Christ to all its peoples.
We are the most recent branches of that ancient tree. We inherit the mission and, like all the faithful who have gone before us, we are called to bear fruit, to send out new life to a harsh world. Just as Sts. Peter and Paul were called in different ways with different missions, so we are sent out, each with our own gifts and charisms. May the example of these great Apostles serve to motivate us to vigorously carry the message forward; by word and example may we bring the “Good News” to all we meet as they did.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Sts. Peter and Paul” by Guido Reni, c. 1600
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Readings for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary: (Today I borrow, in part, from the commentary from Fr. Tom Welbers at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Berkley, California)
Reading 1 Acts 12:1-11
The Christian Jews in Jerusalem have fallen from favor, probably due to St. Stephen’s teaching and the subsequent back lash. The execution of St. James marks the beginning of the third persecution of the early Church in Jerusalem, this one from a more formal source.
The liberation of Peter from prison echoes many events of Jewish history (the deliverance of Joseph, Gn 39:21-41:57; the three young men, Dn 3; and Daniel, Dn 6) that consciously reflect the paschal liberation (Ex 12:42). Peter now undergoes the same trial and deliverance as his Master and in his own person becomes a sign of God’s deliverance of his people.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving and a favorite for celebrating the heroic virtue of the saints. The psalmist, fresh from the experience of being rescued (Psalm 34:5, 7), can teach the "poor," those who are defenseless, to trust in God alone. This psalm, in the words of one being unjustly persecuted, echoes hope for deliverance and freedom. Response: "The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him."
Reading II 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Paul is writing from prison at the end of his life. The only deliverance he can expect is death, and he confidently proclaims that it is the greatest deliverance of all. The death of the Christian who has lived and worked in union with the death of Christ through baptism is true release to freedom and glory. The Apostle views this deliverance as an act of worship. At the close of his life Paul could testify to the accomplishment of what Christ himself foretold concerning him at the time of his conversion, "I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name" (Acts 9:16).
Gospel Mt 16:13-19
This passage is often used as a proof text for the primacy of the Pope. It may well be that, but to stop there is to set aside rich insight into our own participation in the mission of the Church. The "power of the keys" is rightly understood as referring to the authority of Peter and his successors in the ministry of leading and unifying the Church, but it also provides us with an image of the mission of the whole Church, ourselves included. The Church is the doorway to God’s kingdom. Each of us as a member of the Church has the power to unlock that doorway — to welcome all we meet, by our spirit of love and forgiveness, into association with us in the kingdom. But we can also close the door of the kingdom to others, excluding them by our attitudes of superiority, prejudice, selfishness, or negligence. As Christians, we have the power to open or to lock the door of God’s kingdom. By our own words and actions we cannot help but exercise this power — one way or the other.
Reflection:
As we think about St. Peter and St. Paul and all they did and endured for the sake of Christ’s mission we cannot help but be drawn to an image the Lord used on many occasions – the Parable of the Seeds. Peter and Paul were indeed like seeds that landed on fertile ground. And if we think about them as being the means by which the Church was founded, that image takes on new meaning for us.
In the beginning, Jesus chose them and flung them at the world. He charged them to take the good news to the people in two totally different ways that merged at the end of their ministries. St. Peter was called from the beginning of Christ’s ministry. He was called first and he was charged by Christ to be the rock upon which the Church would be built. This task was given to him not because he was he was superlatively trained in the classic school of theology (that was St. Paul) nor because he was so charismatic. He was chosen for his deep and abiding faith that was used by God to provide startling insights (although he did have human failings like all of us)
St. Peter’s first mission was to the Jews, the people God chose to reveal himself to from the beginning. It was from this population Jesus came and from it he chose special people to follow him. Following the death and resurrection of Jesus, Peter and the rest of the Apostles did their best to bring the good news to the Jews. But as with the Lord himself, they were rejected, forcefully, violently, with extreme prejudice.
St. Peter was an intended victim of this pogrom. It is clear from the story of his rescue from prison that he was being watched over by God. Just when it seemed that the infant Church would be wiped out, an angel of the Lord appeared and, as God has done so many times in human experience, he rescued him from the grip of an authority that intended death for God’s chosen ones.
St. Paul’s story was quite different. Where St. Peter was called from the beginning, St. Paul was called at the end, after the Lord had come and gone in his public ministry on earth. St. Paul, who had authorized the execution of St. Stephen in Jerusalem and was on a mission to complete the eradiation of these “Christians”, was selected as a tool of Jesus as well. He, a classically educated scholar of both Hebrew Scripture and Greek Philosophy, was sent to the Gentiles. The cornerstone rejected by the builders was to be foundational to believers who had not come to faith through the Law of Moses, but by other paths.
St. Peter and St. Paul can be viewed as two germinating shoots of that seed that was to become the giant tree, the Church, which covers the whole world. With its roots in the Hebrew Scriptures, drawing upon that early understanding of God the Just Judge and the new revelation of God through his Son as the God of love, those two budding shoots reached out to the world and brought the life of Christ to all its peoples.
We are the most recent branches of that ancient tree. We inherit the mission and, like all the faithful who have gone before us, we are called to bear fruit, to send out new life to a harsh world. Just as Sts. Peter and Paul were called in different ways with different missions, so we are sent out, each with our own gifts and charisms. May the example of these great Apostles serve to motivate us to vigorously carry the message forward; by word and example may we bring the “Good News” to all we meet as they did.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Sts. Peter and Paul” by Guido Reni, c. 1600
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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