|
|
The Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Leaders
of the Apostles, Peter and Paul - June 29
What more beautiful eulogy could be
conferred upon these primates of the Apostles than the
testimony that the Lord Himself gave them? Jesus said to
Peter: “Blessed are you,” and “You are Peter, and upon this
rock I will build my Church,” and He called Paul: “A chosen
vessel, destined to carry My name before princes and kings.”
The Holy Apostle Peter:
Peter was the son of Jonah and the brother of Andrew, the
First-called. He was of the
 Tribe
of Simeon from the town of Bethsaida. He was a fisherman
and, at first, was called Simon but the Lord was pleased to
call him Cephas or Peter: “And he brought him to Jesus. And
when Jesus beheld him, He said, You are Simon the son of
Jonah: you shall be called Cephas, which is by
interpretation, a rock” (St. John 1:42). He was the first of
the disciples to clearly express faith in the Lord Jesus
saying: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”
(St. Matthew 16:16). His love for the Lord was great and his
faith in the Lord gradually strengthened. When the Lord was
brought to trial, Peter denied Him three times but after
only one glance into the face of the Lord, Peter’s soul was
filled with shame and repentance. After the descent of the
Holy Spirit, Peter appears as a fearless and powerful
preacher of the Gospel. Following one of his sermons in
Jerusalem, three-thousand souls converted to the Faith. He
preached the Gospel throughout Palestine and Asia Minor,
throughout Illyria and Italy. Peter worked many powerful
miracles; he healed the sick, resurrected the dead; the sick
were healed even from his shadow. He had a great struggle
with Simon the Magician who proclaimed himself as god but in
reality Simon was a servant of Satan. Finally, Peter shamed
and defeated him. By order of the evil Emperor Nero, Simon's
friend, Peter was condemned to death. Installing Linus as
Bishop of Rome, counseling and comforting the flock of
Christ, Peter proceeded joyfully to his death. Seeing the
cross before him, he begged his executioners to crucify him
upside down for he considered himself unworthy to die as did
his Lord. Thus the great servant of the Great Lord reposed
and received the wreath of eternal glory.
The Holy Apostle Paul:
Paul was born in Tarsus of the tribe of Benjamin. At first,
he was called Saul, studied under Gamaliel, was a Pharisee
and a persecutor of Christianity. He was miraculously
converted to the Christian Faith by the Lord Himself Who
appeared to him on the road to Damascus. He was baptized by
the Apostle Ananias,
 was
called Paul and numbered in the service of the great
apostles. With a fiery zeal, Paul preached the Gospel
everywhere from the borders of Arabia to Spain, among the
Jews and among the Gentiles. He received the title “Apostle
to the Gentiles.” As horrible as his sufferings were, so
much more was his super human patience. Throughout all the
years of his preaching Paul, from day to day, hung as one on
a weak thread between life and death. Since he fulfilled all
days and nights with labor and suffering for Christ, since
he organized the Church in many places and since he attained
such a degree of perfection he was able to say: “It is now
no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians
2:20). Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Emperor
Nero at the same time as the Apostle Peter.
First in prominence among the Apostles, and teachers to
the Universe, intercede to the Master of all for peace in
the world and for our souls great mercy.
|
