Churches of the Day

29/6 Ss Peter and Paul, Apostles - Solemnity|

This day in Imperial  Rome, Romulus was traditionally celebrated as the founder of the city.
We, as Christians, celebrate Ss Peter and Paul as the twin founders of the Church in Rome.
They both gave their lives for the faith:  Peter by crucifixion in 64 AD,  Paul by beheading in c. 67 AD.

C/f A short life of these saints can be found below todays' Readings and Reflection.

FIRST READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles        12:1-11
Now I know the Lord really has saved me from Herod.

King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. 'Get up!' he said 'Hurry!' - and the chains fell from his hands.

The angel then said, 'Put on your belt and sandals.' After he had done this, the angel next said, 'Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.'

Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself.
'Now I know it is all true,' he said .
'The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.'

The Word of the Lord.          Thanks be to God.


Responsorial Psalm        Ps 33:2-9
Response                             From all my terrors the Lord set me free.
Or                                          The angel of the Lord rescues those who revere him.

1. I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast. The humble shall hear and be glad.           Response

2. Glorify the Lord with me. Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me; from all my terrors he set me free.               Response

3. Look towards him and be radiant; let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called; the Lord heard him and rescued him from all his distress.    Response

4. The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who revere him, to rescue them.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is happy who seeks refuge in him.               Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to Timothy        4:6-8 17-18
All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me.

My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

The Word of the Lord.              Thanks be to God.


Gospel Acclamation            Mt 16:18
Alleluia, alleluia!
You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church.
And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you.                              And with your spirit
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew   16:13-19      Glory to you, O Lord.
You are Peter, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples,
'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'
And they said, 'Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'
'But you,' he said 'who do you say I am?'
Then Simon Peter spoke up, 'You are the Christ,' he said 'the Son of the living God.'

Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man!
Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.
So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.'

The Gospel of the Lord.        Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel Reflection        29/6       Ss Peter and Paul     Matthew 16:13-19

Peter and Paul were two very different people who on at least one important issue in the early church were seriously at odds with one another. Peter wanted pagans who entered the church to submit to the Jewish Law, whereas Paul insisted that this was an unnecessary imposition on them.
Peter was a fisherman from Galilee, a predominately rural area.
Paul was from the university city of Tarsus, in the south of modern day Turkey.
Peter was an Aramaic speaking Jew;
Paul was a Greek speaking Jew.
Peter probably just had the very basic education of his time and place;
Paul was clearly a very well educated and literate person.
Peter, of course, knew Jesus personally and was with him throughout his public ministry.
Paul only ever encountered as the risen Lord.
Peter’s mission was primarily to preach the gospel to the Jews.
Paul’s mission was to preach the gospel primarily to pagans.

According to Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, he met Peter for the first time in the city of Jerusalem, some three years after the risen Lord appeared to Paul, ‘after three years, I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days’. No doubt, on that occasion, Peter had an opportunity to share with Paul his own experiences of Jesus during his public ministry. In spite of their many differences, they were both equally dedicated to serving the Lord.

According to the first reading, Peter was imprisoned for his work of preaching the gospel. In the second reading Paul speaks as one who is already ‘being poured away as a libation’, a drink offering in the Temple. They were each put to death because of their faith in Christ during the persecution of the church in Rome ordered by Nero, who blamed the Christians of Rome for the great fire in the city. The Lord worked very differently but very powerfully through each of them.

The Lord wishes to work through each of us and will do so in a way that is unique to each of us. The Lord needs diversity, not uniformity. Yet, he needs us to work in harmony, like the different parts of one body. Sometimes our diversity can cause tension, as sometimes happened between Peter and Paul, but such tension can be healthy and can ultimately serve the Lord’s purposes. Our tensions can be resolved if, like Peter and Paul, we keep our eyes fixed on the risen Lord whose servants we are.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings  2024: The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications  c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Saints of the Day: June 29, Ss Peter and Paul, Apostles

Summary of Ss Peter and Paul, Apostles: They died as martyrs at Rome under Nero, between 64-67. This pre-eminent feast day of the city of Rome has been observed on this date since the mid-third century. It commemorates the martyrdoms of Peter "the chief of the apostles" and Paul "the apostle to the Gentiles." Noted for their faith, their courage, and their leadership during the difficult days of the birth of the Church.



Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, twin founders of the Church in Rome. It is the day traditionally considered in pagan Rome to be its foundation day by Romulus. Although Paul had occasion to stand up to Peter because he would not eat with Gentiles - 'I opposed him to his face, since he was manifestly in the wrong' (Gal 2:11) - they are both jointly honoured on this feast. Today  is a day when the Pope confers the pallium on all the archbishops whom he has appointed in the previous year. The conversion of St Paul is celebrated on 25th January.

Here Patrick Duffy looks at what the New Testament tells us about Ss Peter and Paul.

Providential Irony in Jesus's Choice of Leader?
Simon was a bit of a bungler. Is there then an irony that is providential in Jesus' choice of him as the leader of the campaign and of the community he put together to bring his salvation to the world. Simon's mission is implied in the new name that Jesus gave him, Cephas or Peter, meaning Rock.

Top of the Lists
The name, Simon who is called Peter appears at the top of every list of the apostles in the gospels. When Jesus asked, 'Who do you say I am?' Simon made the supreme confession of faith  – 'You are the Christ,' he said, 'the son of the living God' (Mt 10:2-4 and 16:15-16).

Impulsive and Enthusiastic
In character, Peter is impulsive and enthusiastic - wanting to make three tents at the transfiguration on the mountain (Mt 17:4), attempting to walk on the waters and then has to be rescued by Jesus when he begins to sink (Mt 14:29-31). He denied Jesus three times, as Jesus had foretold he would (Mt 26:69-75).

Reinstated and Mission
Jesus, however, takes special care to reinstate Peter as leader after the resurrection, asking three times "Do you love me?" and telling him, “Feed my sheep" (Jn 21:15-17).

The mysterious and providential character of Peter's (and perhaps everybody's) life comes out in the words Jesus then spoke according to John's gospel: I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go (Jn 21:18).

Pentecost, Imprisonment and Escape
At Pentecost Peter surprised the people in Jerusalem with the power of the words he spoke about Jesus’s resurrection (Acts 2:40-41). Later he was imprisoned by Herod Agrippa, but had a miraculous escape (Acts 12:1-11).

Opposed by Paul
At Antioch, however, Peter gave into racial prejudice, declining to eat with the pagans, but Paul boldly corrected him. He tells us:
'I opposed him to his face, since he was manifestly in the wrong' (Gal 2:11).

Death and Memory
Tradition has it that Peter came to Rome and was martyred under Nero around 64 AD. The emperor Constantine built a basilica to house his tomb. The present (16th century) basilica is now on that same site. Twentieth century excavations discovered the tomb of Peter, though it is impossible to say the bones are his.

Petrine Ministry
Today in ecumenical circles there is a growing sense that the seminal text of Matt 16:13-19 where Jesus gives Peter authority to bind and loose can and should be interpreted in the sense of a Petrine ministry of leadership and stability in the Church. Peter is the chief steward in the palace of the kingdom with a role of rescuing from death's dominion.

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Memorable Saying for Today

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain

~ St Paul, (Philippians 2:3) ~

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The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We are all called to be peacemakers.

FIRST READING   

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah         66:10-14
Towards her I send flowing peace, like a river.

Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who love her!
Rejoice, rejoice for her, all you who mourned her!

That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling breast,
that you may savour with delight her glorious breasts.

For thus says the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river,
and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations.

At her breast will her nurslings be carried and fondled in her lap.
Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort you.
And by Jerusalem you will be comforted.

At the sight your heart will rejoice, and your bones flourish like the grass.
To his servants the Lord will reveal his hand.

The Word of the Lord           Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm        Ps 65
Response                             Cry out with joy to God all the earth.

1. Cry out with joy to God all the earth, O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise. Say to God: 'How tremendous your deeds!        Response

2. 'Before you all the earth shall bow; shall sing to you, sing to your name!'
Come and see the works of God, tremendous his deeds among men.                 Response

3. He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river dry-shod.
Let our joy then be in him; he rules for ever by his might.                                     Response

4. Come and hear, all who fear God. I will tell what he did for my soul.
Blessed be God who did not reject my prayer nor withhold his love from me.  Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the second letter of St Paul to the Galatians          6:14-18
The marks on my body are those of the Lord Jesus.

The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
It does not matter if a person is circumcised or not; what matters is for him to become an altogether new creature. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, who form the Israel of God.

I want no more trouble from anybody after this; the marks on my body are those of Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, my brothers. Amen.

The Word of the Lord                Thanks be to God.

Gospel  Acclamation               Jn 15: 15
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!

Or                                                  Col 3:15. 16
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts,
because it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL      

The Lord be with you.                          And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke 10:1-12. 17-20        Glory to you, O Lord
Your peace will go and rest on that man.

The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him, in pairs,
to all the towns and places he himself was to visit. He said to them,
'The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest. Start off now, but remember, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Carry no purse, no haversack, no sandals. Salute no one on the road.

Whatever house you go into, let your first words be, "Peace to this house!" And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.
Stay in the same house, taking what food and drink they have to offer, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not move from house to house.

Whenever you go into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is set before you. Cure those in it who are sick, and say, "The kingdom of God is very near to you". But whenever you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, .
"We wipe off the very dust of your town that clings to our feet, and leave it with you.
Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God is very near."

I tell you, on that day it will not go as hard with Sodom as with that town.

The seventy-two came back rejoicing.
'Lord,' they said 'even the devils submit to us when we use your name.'
He said to them,
'I watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Yes, I have given you power to tread underfoot serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you.
Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.'

The Gospel of the Lord            Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.    

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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.