Sunday Meditation: The Solemnity of Peter and Paul

Today is the third feast Sunday following Pentecost, and today is one that is fixed to the 29^th of June.  When it doesn’t fall on a Sunday, it used to be a Holy Day of Obligation, and it still is in some parts of the world.  Where it is not, such as the United States, it is transferred to the following Sunday.

 

There are several Gospel readings for this feast, depending on whether the Mass is a vigil, day, or night.  I will choose the day Mass for Year C:

 

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

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.”

   ~Mt 16:13-19

 

That is the often quoted passage of Jesus handing the keys of heaven and hell, binding and loosing to St. Peter.

Fr. Geoffrey Plant once again provides a thorough understanding of the Solemnity’s significance. 

 

Amazing this feast day goes back to the third century!  That when the Church was still being persecuted.  I really like that quote from St. Augustine: “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one, and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one.  Peter went first and Paul followed.  And so we celebrate this day made holy by the apostles’ blood.  Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”

Also fascinating is that in the New Testament, Peter is mentioned by three names: Peter (154 times), Simon (75 times), and Cephas (7 times). 

Jeff Cavins provides us a pastoral preaching (he is not a priest to call it a homily) on this Solemnity. 

 

Of particular note is the pattern Cavins points out between the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, between Jesus and the apostles after the Resurrection, and then between the first half of Acts with Peter and the second half with Paul.  And so there are parallels between Jesus, Peter, and Paul. 

 

 

Sunday Meditation: “But who do you say that I am?”

 

 

For the hymn, I’m going to bet you never heard this before.  “St. Paul’s Blues” by John Michael Talbot. 

 

 

Has anyone heard that before?  I did not think John Michael Talbot ever took on the blues form.  I’m not sure what to think.