June 29, 2012

Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles, During the Day

Reading 1 Acts 12:1-11

In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them.
He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword,
and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
"It was the feast of Unleavened Bread."
He had him taken into custody and put in prison
under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.
He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter thus was being kept in prison,
but prayer by the Church was fervently being made
to God on his behalf.

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.
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.
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."
So he followed him out,
not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
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.
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."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.
The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.
R. The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

Reading 2 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well; I have finished the race;
I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.

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.
And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat
and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Gospel Mt 16:13-19

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."

From: Acts 12:1-11

Persecution by Herod. Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance

[1] About that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to
the church. [2] He killed James the brother of John with the sword; [3] and when
he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was du-
ring the days of Unleavened Bread. [4] And when he had seized him, he put him
in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending af-
ter the Passover to bring him out to the people. [5] So Peter was kept in prison;
but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

[6] The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping
between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were
guarding the prison; [7] and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light
shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get
up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. [8] And the angel said to him,
“Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him,
“Wrap your mantle around you and follow me.” [9] And he went out and followed
him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he
was seeing a vision. [10] When they had passed the first and the second guard,
they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own ac-
cord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the
angel left him. [11] And Peter came to himself, and said, “Now I am sure that
the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from
all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

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Commentary:

1-19. This is an account of persecution of the Church by Herod Agrippa (37-44),
which took place before the visit of Paul and Barnabas to the Holy City (cf. 11:
30).

The information given in this chapter about the latest persecution of the Jerusa-
lem community — more severe and more general than the earlier crises (cf. 5:17;
8:1) — gives an accurate picture of the situation in Palestine and describes events
in chronological sequence. Prior to this the Roman governors more or less protec-
ted the rights of the Jerusalem Christians. Now Agrippa, in his desire to ingratiate
himself with the Pharisees, abandons the Christians to the growing resentment
and hatred the Jewish authorities and people feel towards them.

This chapter brings to an end, so to speak, the story of the first Christian commu-
nity in Jerusalem. From now on, attention is concentrated on the church of Anti-
och. The last stage of the Palestinian Judeo-Christian church, under the direction
of James “the brother of the Lord”, will not experience the expansion enjoyed by
other churches, due to the grave turn which events take in the Holy Land.

1. This Herod is the third prince of that name to appear in the New Testament.
He was a grandson of Herod the Great, who built the new temple of Jerusalem
and was responsible for the massacre of the Holy Innocents (cf. Mt 2:16); he
was also a nephew of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee at the time of our
Lord’s death. Herod Agrippa I was a favorite of the emperor Caligula, who gra-
dually gave him more territory and allowed him to use the title of king. Agrippa
I managed to extend his authority over all the territory his grandfather had ruled:
Roman governors had ruled Judea up to the year 41, but in that year it was gi-
ven over to Herod. He was a sophisticated type of person, a diplomat, so bent
on consolidating his power that he had became a master of intrigue and a total
opportunist. For largely political motives he practiced Judaism with a certain ri-
gor.

2. James the Greater would have been martyred in the year 42 or 43. He was
the first Apostle to die for the faith and the only one whose death is mentioned
in the New Testament. The Liturgy of the Hours says of him: “The son of Zebe-
dee and the brother of John, he was born in Bethsaida. He witnessed the princi-
pal miracles performed by our Lord and was put to death by Herod around the
year 42. He is held in special veneration in the city of Compostela, where a fa-
mous church is dedicated to his name.”

“The Lord permits this death,” Chrysostom observes, “to show his murderers
that these events do not cause the Christians to retreat or desist” (”Hom. on
Acts”, 26).

5. “Notice the feelings of the faithful towards their pastors. They do not riot or re-
bel; they have recourse to prayer, which can solve all problems. They do not say
to themselves: we do not count, there is no point in our praying for him. Their love
led them to pray and they did not think along those lines. Have you noticed what
these persecutors did without intending to? They made (their victims) more deter-
mined to stand the test, and (the faithful) more zealous and loving” (”Hom. on
Acts”, 26).

St Luke, whose Gospel reports our Lord’s words on perseverance in prayer (cf.
11:13; 18:1-8), here stresses that God listens to the whole community’s prayer
for Peter. He plans in his providence to save the Apostle for the benefit of the
Church, but he wants the outcome to be seen as an answer to the Church’s fer-
vent prayer.

7-10. The Lord comes to Peter’s help by sending an angel, who opens the prison
and leads him out. This miraculous freeing of the Apostle is similar to what hap-
pened at the time of Peter and John’s detention (5:19f) and when Paul and Silas
are imprisoned in Philippi (16:19ff).

This extraordinary event, which must be understood exactly as it is described,
shows the loving care God takes of those whom he entrusts with a mission.
They must strive to fulfill it, but they will “see” for themselves that he guides
their steps and watches over them.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

The Crown of Righteousness

[6] For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has
come. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
[8] Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to
all who have loved his appearing.

[17] For the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully,
that all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. [18]
The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save me for his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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Commentary:

6-8. Conscious of his closeness to death, St Paul writes in poetic strain about
his life in the service of the Gospel, about the meaning of death and his hope of
heaven. The imagery he uses shows how he interprets his experience in the
light of faith. “On the point of being sacrificed” — literally “poured out in sacrifice”
— death is an offering to God, like the libations of oil poured on the altar of sacri-
fices. Death is the beginning of a journey: “the point of my departure has come,”
the anchor is being weighed, the sails unfurled.

The Christian life is like magnificent Games taking place in the presence of God,
who acts as the judge. In Greece the Games had close connections with reli-
gious worship; St Paul presents the Christian life as a type of spiritual sport:
“races” indicates the continuous effort to achieve perfection (cf. Phil 3:14); trai-
ning for athletics indicates the practice of self-denial (cf. 1 Cor 9:26-27); fighting
stands for the effort required to resist sin even if that means death, as can hap-
pen in the event of persecution (cf. Heb 12:4). It is well worthwhile taking part in
this competition, because, as St John Chrysostom points out, “the crown which
it bestows never withers. It is not made of laurel leaves, it is not a man who pla-
ces it on our head, it has not been won in the presence of a crowd made up of
men, but in a stadium full of angels. In earthly competitions a man fights and
strives for days and the only reward he receives is a crown which withers in a
matter of hours [. . .]. That does not happen here: the crown he is given is a
glory and honor whose brilliance lasts forever (”Hom. on 2 Tim, ad loc”.).

All Christians who “have loved his appearing”, that is, who stay true to Christ,
share St Paul’s expectation of eternal life. “We who know about the eternal joys
of the heavenly fatherland should hasten to reach it by the more direct route”
(St Gregory the Great, “In Evangelia Homiliae”, 16).

9-18. In his letters St Paul often asks people to do things for him; his messa-
ges here are particularly moving, given as they are on the eve of his martyrdom.
He is following the example of Christ: he puts his trust in God even though his
friends desert him (vv. 10-12, 16); his enemies harass him more than ever, yet
he forgives them (vv. 14, 16); in the midst of his sufferings he praises the Lord (v.
18). His mention of Thessalonica, Galatia, Dalmatia, Ephesus, Troas, Corinth
and Miletus show how warmly he remembers places which were very receptive
to the Christian message. These few verses constitute a mini-biography.

His generosity of spirit is shown by the fact that he mentions so many disciples
by name; to all he gave of his best; some of them fell by the wayside but most
of them stayed faithful; some are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles or in
other letters, but for others this is the only mention in the New Testament. How-
ever, all without exception must have been very present to the Apostle who be-
came “all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor 9:22).

16-17. St Paul points to the contrast between the way men treat him and the
way God does. Because of the hazards involved in staying with Paul or defen-
ding him, some of his friends, even some of his closest friends, have deserted
him; whereas God stays by his side.

“You seek the company of friends who, with their conversation and affection,
with their friendship, make the exile of this world more bearable for you. There
is nothing wrong with that, although friends sometimes let you down. But how
is it you don’t frequent daily with greater intensity the company, the conversa-
tion, of the great Friend, who never lets you down?” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”,
88).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 16:13-19

Peter’s Profession of Faith and His Primacy

[13] Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His
disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” [14] And they said, “Some
say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the pro-
phets.” [15] He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” [16] Simon Peter
replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [17] And Jesus answered
him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this
to you, but My Father who is in Heaven. [18] And I tell you, you are Peter, and on
this rock I will build My Church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against
it. [19] I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind
on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be
loosed in Heaven.”

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Commentary:

13-20. In this passage St. Peter is promised primacy over the whole Church, a
primacy which Jesus will confer on him after His Resurrection, as we learn in the
Gospel of St. John (cf. John 21:15-18). This supreme authority is given to Peter
for the benefit of the Church. Because the Church has to last until the end of time,
this authority will be passed on to Peter’s successors down through history. The
Bishop of Rome, the Pope, is the successor of Peter.

The solemn Magisterium of the Church, in the First Vatican Council, defined the
doctrine of the primacy of Peter and his successors in these terms: “We teach
and declare, therefore, according to the testimony of the Gospel that the primacy
of jurisdiction over the whole Church was immediately and directly promised to
and conferred upon the blessed Apostle Peter by Christ the Lord. For to Simon,
Christ had said, ‘You shall be called Cephas’ (John 1:42). Then, after Simon had
acknowledged Christ with the confession, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the li-
ving God’ (Matthew 16:16), it was to Simon alone that the solemn words were
spoken by the Lord: ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has
not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in Heaven. And I tell you, you are
Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the powers of Hell shall not
prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever
you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and what you loose on earth shall
be loosed in Heaven’ (Matthew 16:17-19). And after His Resurrection, Jesus con-
ferred upon Simon Peter alone the jurisdiction of supreme shepherd and ruler
over His whole fold with the words, ‘Feed My lambs....Feed My sheep’ (John 21:
15-17) [...]

“Now, what Christ the Lord, Supreme Shepherd and watchful guardian of the
flock, established in the person of the blessed Apostle Peter for the perpetual
safety and everlasting good of the Church must, by the will of the same, endure
without interruption in the Church which was founded on the rock and which will
remain firm until the end of the world. Indeed, ‘no one doubts, in fact it is obvious
to all ages, that the holy and most blessed Peter, Prince and head of the Apos-
tles, the pillar of faith, and the foundation of the Catholic Church, received the
keys of the kingdom from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and the Redeemer
of the human race; and even to this time and forever he lives,’ and governs, ‘and
exercises judgment in his successors’ (cf. Council of Ephesus), the bishops
of the holy Roman See, which he established and consecrated with his blood.
Therefore, whoever succeeds Peter in this Chair holds Peter’s primacy over the
whole Church according to the plan of Christ Himself [...]. For this reason, ‘be-
cause of its greater sovereignty,’ it was always ‘necessary for every church, that
is, the faithful who are everywhere, to be in agreement’ with the same Roman
Church [...]

“We think it extremely necessary to assert solemnly the prerogative which the
only-begotten Son of God deigned to join to the highest pastoral office. “And so,
faithfully keeping to the tradition received from the beginning of the Christian faith,
for the glory of God our Savior, for the exaltation of the Catholic religion, and for
the salvation of Christian peoples, we, with the approval of the sacred council,
teach and define that it is a divinely revealed dogma: that the Roman Pontiff,
when he speaks “ex cathedra”, that is, when, acting in the office of shepherd
and teacher of all Christians, he defines, by virtue of his supreme apostolic au-
thority, doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the universal Church,
possesses through the divine assistance promised to him in the person of St.
Peter, the infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed His Church to be en-
dowed in defining doctrine concerning faith or morals; and that such definitions
of the Roman Pontiff are therefore irreformable because of their nature, but not
because of the agreement of the Church.”

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Mass Readings

These readings are for the Vigil Mass on the evening before the feast:

First reading	Acts 3:1-10 ©

Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, it happened that there was a man being carried past. He was a cripple from birth; and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in. When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. Both Peter and John looked straight at him and said, ‘Look at us.’ He turned to them expectantly, hoping to get something from them, but Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but I will give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!’ Peter then took him by the hand and helped him to stand up. Instantly his feet and ankles became firm, he jumped up, stood, and began to walk, and he went with them into the Temple, walking and jumping and praising God. Everyone could see him walking and praising God, and they recognised him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. They were all astonished and unable to explain what had happened to him.

Psalm	Psalm 18:2-5 ©

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God,

and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.

Day unto day takes up the story

and night unto night makes known the message.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

No speech, no word, no voice is heard

yet their span extends through all the earth,

their words to the utmost bounds of the world.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.

Second reading	Galatians 1:11-20 ©

The Good News I preached is not a human message that I was given by men, it is something I learnt only through a revelation of Jesus Christ. You must have heard of my career as a practising Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the Church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors.

Then God, who had specially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose to reveal his Son in me, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans. I did not stop to discuss this with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were already apostles before me, but I went off to Arabia at once and later went straight back from there to Damascus. Even when after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days, I did not see any of the other apostles; I only saw James, the brother of the Lord, and I swear before God that what I have written is the literal truth.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn21:17

Alleluia, alleluia!

Lord, you know everything:

you know I love you.

Alleluia!

Gospel	John 21:15-19 ©

Jesus showed himself to his disciples, and after they had eaten he said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

‘I tell you most solemnly,

when you were young

you put on your own belt

and walked where you liked;

but when you grow old

you will stretch out your hands,

and somebody else will put a belt round you

and take you where you would rather not go.’

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’

These readings are for the day of the feast itself:

First reading	Acts 12:1-11 ©

King Herod started persecuting certain members of the Church. He beheaded James the brother of John, and when he saw that this pleased the Jews he decided to arrest Peter as well. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread, and he put Peter in prison, assigning four squads of four soldiers each to guard him in turns. Herod meant to try Peter in public after the end of Passover week. All the time Peter was under guard the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with double chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said ‘Hurry!’ – and the chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak round you and follow me.’ Peter followed him, but had no idea that what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through two guard posts one after the other, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord; they went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him. It was only then that Peter came to himself. ‘Now I know it is all true’ he said. The Lord really did send his angel and has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were so certain would happen to me.’

Psalm	Psalm 33:2-9 ©