SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL (2025)

SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL (2025)

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles 12:1-11

Book of Psalms 34:2-9

Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

Matthew 16:13-19

Last week I falsely suggested that we would be back in Ordinary time by now, but I had not consulted the liturgical Calendar.  Peter, the head of the apostles, and Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, have been remembered together on this date (June 29th) since ancient times.  Peter and Paul are the dual pillars upon which the Catholic Church was founded.  As a sign of their importance, they are the two New Testament figures whose original names are changed in order to indicate the essential roles that they will be undertaking in the earthly kingdom of God.  We remember that Peter started out as a simple fisherman, who worked alongside his brother Andrew.  Jesus changed Peter’s name to ‘Cephas’ (in Greek: ‘Petros’/Peter, meaning “rock.”  The Scriptures have Jesus speaking directly to him you are now “Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.”  Although his foibles are unabashedly portrayed in the gospels, he, nevertheless, becomes head of the apostles, and is revered in the Church as the first Pope.  Indeed, in the gospel “the keys of the Kingdom of heaven” are given to him.

Paul, you will remember, is first seen in the Acts of the Apostles at the stoning of Stephen, widely considered the first martyr.  At Stephen’s death Acts told us that the  murderous men laid their cloaks at the feet of a man named Saul.  Saul was a proud persecutor of the early followers of Jesus, until after his encounter with the risen Christ on his way to Damascus, after which his name is changed to Paul.  Once accepted by the other apostles, Paul gave his life to preaching the Gospel throughout Asia Minor.  Both saints we celebrate today were said to be martyred in Rome.

Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles recounts Peter’s close call with death at the hands of Herod, who had already taken the life of James, one of the Sons of Thunder.  Seeing how well received were the deaths of Jesus’ followers, Herod no doubt wanted Peter dead, but he would wait until after the Passover.  We find Peter in Acts languishing in prison.  He is “secured by double chains,” and “sleeping between two soldiers.”  The miraculous nature of this incident is further heightened by the mention of other guards outside of Peter’s cell.

Dying at Herod’s hands was not meant to be, for the “prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God on [Peter’s] behalf.”  The darkness of Peter’s cell was overcome through the light of an “angel” whose message was simple: “Get up quickly.”  With little to no fuss, Peter is freed of his shackles, and, as though invisible, Peter walks by the guards.  It is easy to understand why Peter thought he was dreaming, but as he escaped further away, he knew ”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.”  The response to our psalm confirms what is true for all people: “The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.”

Our second reading is from Paul’s second letter to Timothy.  It is the last letter that Paul will ever write, and it appears to be somewhat akin to a personal obituary.  Paul is imprisoned in Rome, and clearly senses that his time is up: “I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand.”  What is important at this stage is that he “has competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.”  If Paul is haunted by his former life there is little evidence in this obit.  Paul has done his best, and there is great conviction that “a crown of righteousness awaits” him, and the Lord “will bring him safe to [God’s] heavenly Kingdom.”

Today’s liturgy gives us a real sense of the struggles that followers of Christ encountered in the early Church, and with miraculous escapes from prison and heavenly angels there might be the possibility of overly romanticizing this early period of the Church’s history.  Today’s two saints experienced genuine persecution, and in the case of Peter, who suffered at the hands of an imperial and authoritative leader, there is little to no difference from the oppression that many Christians endure throughout the world today.

In this country we are spoiled if we are white, and English is our primary language, but there is widespread global persecution of Christians.  Statistics indicate that to date, more than 380 million Christians suffer persecution and discrimination because of their faith.  In North Korea, where extreme Christian oppression is at its peak, Christians are arrested, forced to work in labor camps and even executed.  Nigeria, tragically, holds the highest count of killings of Christians in the world.  In Pakistan, Christian girls are increasingly abducted and forced to marry older Muslim men.  In Nicaragua, Catholic Bishop Jose Alvarez, who spoke out against the dictator Daniel Ortega, was unjustly convicted of conspiracy and treason and sentenced to 26 years in prison.  In Viet Nam a pastor of a Protestant church served twelve years of a lengthier sentence, all because of his Christian faith.

We are blessedly free to practice our faith, without fear of persecution, but we must always do what we can to eradicate the persecution of Christians everywhere.  Many of the organizations that monitor and help oppressed peoples may be on the budgetary cutting block so that wealthier people can get tax breaks.  We cannot allow that to happen.  Like Paul, we must fight the good fight, we must compete well and finish the race, and most importantly, we must keep the faith, the antidote to oppression everywhere.