Solemnity of Saints Peter & Paul
June 29
Note: Where a Scripture text is underlined in the body of this
discussion, it is recommended that the reader look up and read that
passage.
Introduction
The Lord built His Church on the foundation of the Apostles (Revelation
21:14). Today we celebrate two of the greatest of the Apostles, Peter
and Paul. Peter, the Rock, was the chief of the Apostles, their leader
and our first Pope. Peter was executed in the reign of Nero sometime
between A.D. 64 & 67. There is no historical evidence for the
tradition that he was crucified, either upright or upside down; but
this is no reason to discount the tradition. His tomb was believed,
since before the time of Constantine, to have been under what we now
call the Vatican. In 1968 Pope Paul VI announced that the skeletal
remains of St. Peter had been found beneath the high altar.
Paul, the Pharisee who was converted on his trip to Damascus was also
executed in the reign of Nero, in A.D. 67 or 68. Possibly at the same
time as St. Peter. The place of martyrdom in local Roman tradition is
the site of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Since he was a
Roman citizen, the mode of execution according to the same tradition
was decapitation.
1st Reading - Acts 12:1-11
For today’s first reading we find ourselves in A.D. 45, some 15
years after Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection (and the
beginning of the book of Acts). The point of this reading, a point made
more than once in Acts, is to teach how futile are the attempts of even
the powerful to stifle the preachers of God’s word.
1 About that time King Herod laid hands upon some members of the church to harm them.
This is the grandson of the Herod who had ordered the census which
caused Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem. Known as Herod Agrippa I, he
had spent some time as a political prisoner in the jails of Rome under
Emperor Caligula. He was a prison companion of Claudius. When Claudius
was made emperor in A.D. 41, he gave Herod control over the middle and
southern thirds of Israel.
2 He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
James. The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was one of
the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter. He
was the first martyr among the apostles, having been beheaded by King
Herod Agrippa in A.D. 44.
3 and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to
arrest Peter also. (It was (the) feast of Unleavened Bread.)
Passover marked the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread which
lasted for seven days. This time mark has no bearing on the story
except that Herod wanted to wait until the feast was concluded and the
crowds had left town.
4 He had him taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
A very heavy guard
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover. 5 Peter thus
was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being
made to God on his behalf. 6 On the very night before Herod was to
bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping
between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the
prison. 7 Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone
in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying,
“Get up quickly.” The chains fell from his wrists. 8 The
angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.” He
did so. Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow
me.” 9 So he followed him out, not realizing that what was
happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a
vision.
“Dream” might be a better translation.
10 They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron
gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. They
emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left
him. 11 Then Peter recovered his senses and said, “Now I know for
certain that (the) Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of
Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”
These are the people who had once welcomed the apostolic ministry but had now rejected it and stoned Stephen.
2nd Reading - 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18
Second Timothy is widely believed to be St. Paul’s last letter,
written from prison shortly before his death. For this reason it is
regarded as his spiritual testament. What we hear today is his charge
to Timothy and his closing personal remarks.
6 For I am already being poured out like a libation,
Paul expects to be put to death soon and regards the shedding of his
blood as a libation (a sacrificial rite in which the liquid, generally
wine or oil, was poured out). Paul knows that his martyrdom pays homage
to God and is of value for the salvation of souls.
and the time of my departure is at hand.
Death is a departure from this life and a return to Christ.
7 I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
Paul uses sports imagery to describe his pursuit of salvation. He has
persevered and preserved and guarded the deposit of faith (as is the
duty of any Bishop). Like one in a sporting event, he has not given up
and is now approaching the finish line – he has kept his eye on
the goal.
8 From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
Like the winner of a sporting event who is awarded a laurel garland.
which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day,
The parousia, the day of judgment. God, like the emperor, bestows the award on the winners.
and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.
All who out of love for Christ have lived a Christian life as a preparation for His coming.
17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me
the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it.
Paul has endured house arrest and imprisonment in the past but has been released to continue his acts of evangelization.
And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.
A biblical image (Psalm 22:21; Daniel 6:19-22)
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
Paul is not referring to release from his present imprisonment; he will be rescued for the heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Gospel - Matthew 16:13-19
Today’s reading takes place shortly after Jesus’ bread of
life discourse. This places it just a little less than a year before
His passion, death, and resurrection.
13 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
A little over 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, near the headwaters
of the Jordan River. The city was founded by Philip the tetrarch,
brother of Herod Antipas; it was an entirely Gentile community. It was
also the center of the cult of Pan.
he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
This is a suggestive messianic title which Jesus uses for himself (Daniel 7:13); it is never applied to Him by the disciples.
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist,
John had worked no wonders, but someone risen from the dead would be full of power.
others Elijah,
The prophet which Malachi 4:5 tells of coming before the day of the
Lord. [see Sirach 48:10; Malachi 4:5 (Malachi 3:23 in New American
Bible and New Jerusalem Bible)].
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
The prophet who in his own experience of rejection and suffering announces the rejection and suffering of the Messiah.
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Jesus directly challenges the disciples.
16 Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Peter, the spokesman for the group, answers for all with a revelation
that Jesus is the Messiah. Some call this “Peter’s
profession of faith”; more about this later. The Gospel of
Matthew is alone in adding the title “the Son of the Living
God” which directs attention to the Father-Son relationship and
away from the military-nationalistic connotations of the title
“Messiah.”
17 Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you,
In Old Testament parlance, those who received God’s blessing did wonderful things (Noah & Abraham for example).
Simon son of Jonah.
Some translations have “John” – not a genealogy so
much as an indication that Simon is to follow in the footsteps of Jonah
who preached repentance and brought about a great conversion.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
Note that this is a revelation by God. God is using Simon as an
instrument of divine revelation; it is not Simon’s belief (or
faith) which is being proclaimed, but God’s revelation.
18 And so I say to you, you are Peter,
In Aramaic, kepha, which has no gender. In Greek, petros, which is masculine.
and upon this rock
In Aramaic, kepha, which has no gender. In Greek, petra, which is
feminine. The difference in genders between these two occurrences is
not significant, except that it is not proper to address a male in the
feminine form. Jesus and the disciples spoke Aramaic as is evidenced by
several untranslated quotations in the New Testament. This is the first
time in recorded history that a person is known as “rock”.
I will build my church,
Only here and in Matthew 18:17 is the term ekklesia used. Ekklesia is a
gathering of the faithful people; a common designation of the Christian
community in the epistles. Jesus has changed Simon’s name and has
also given him a commission, which will be described in the next verse.
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
Not necessarily just a guarantee of freedom from influence by the
powers of evil as is commonly interpreted, but also freedom from the
power of death [Sheol (Hades in Greek) is the abode of the dead]. The
office will not die with the occupant; it is to be a perpetual office,
occupied in every generation by a successor.
19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.”
Now we hear the description of Peter’s commission. Compare to
Isaiah 22:19-22 where God is replacing Shebna with Eliakim as the chief
minister (prime minister) of the House of David (even though David has
been dead for over 200 years, the office of prime minister over his
house survives). The key is the symbol of his office, and the opening
and shutting (binding and loosing) is his ability to determine the
rules for entry to or exclusion from the house (kingdom of heaven).
Notice that it is not Peter who does the binding and loosing, it is
God. Peter only makes the earthly rules, God does the enforcing.
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, Picayune, MS http://www.scborromeo.org