JUNE 29

STS. PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES

 

"This day has been made holy by the passion of the blessed
apostles Peter and Paul" These are words of St. Augustine in a
sermon for this feast (2nd Reading, Liturgy of the Hours) s:

"Through them the Church first received the faith." (Opening
Prayer).

 

Fr. Carroll Stuhmueller wrote that Peter is "the line of
continuity from Jesus to the world at large," and "Paul, for his
part, was the line of enrichment." (Biblical Meditations for
Ordinary Time, Weeks 10-22, p. 405).

 

In the gospels, St. Peter stands out as the apostle who most
frequently took the initiative in the presence of Jesus. Sometimes
it was embarrassing to himself, but Peter always remained
undaunted. To put it more bluntly, Peter sometimes put his foot
in his mouth, or made fool of himsel£ In a lesser man these
occasions might have destroyed the person, but Peter had one
quality that saved him in difficult situations. He had enthusiasm,
and beneath all the fuss and bluster there was a humble man.

 

Peter took a prominent part at the last supper. Prior to that he
was the acknowledged spokesman for the apostles. Jesus singled
him out for special attention on many occasions both before and
after his death and resurrection.

 

The Acts of the Apostles portrays Peter as a leader of the early
Church, and history confirms that. He undertook enourmous
hardships and fearlessly faced persecution. Peter was a man of
action, sometimes impetuous, but always an ardent lover of
Christ.

 

St. Paul, who was well versed in rabbinical learing, at first
zealously persecuted the Church. However, on his way to
Damascus to arrest some prominent Christians there, he was
literally knocked off his high horse, and made to understand
Christ in that instant. From then on, his life's direction and
purpose changed radically.

 

The next three years of his life were spent in solitude, and then