Pastor's Corner June.29.2025 - Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Pastor’s Corner 29.06.2025

Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

St. Peter and St. Paul are the principal pillars of the Church. That is why this Sunday (June 29th), we celebrate the feast of their martyrdom, replacing the normal readings for the Thirteenth Sunday [C] in Ordinary Time.

St. Peter and St. Paul were the master builders who executed the plans of the divine architect, Christ. Yet, the two could not have been more different. St. Peter was a fisherman with his brother, Andrew. Despite his human limitations and failures, he became the rock that supports the Church, shedding his blood by crucifixion in Rome. On the other hand, St. Paul came from Tarsus in modern-day Turkey, where his family were tent-makers. Paul was well-educated, a fervent Pharisee, and an early persecutor of Christians, before meeting the Lord on the road to Damascus and becoming his apostle to the Gentiles. He, too, died in Rome under Nero, but as a Roman citizen he was denied the privilege of crucifixion, and instead was beheaded by a sword.

Despite their differences, however, and because of their common mission for Christ, Peter and Paul combined to form a solid foundation for Christ’s Church. “Both apostles share the same feast day,” writes St. Augustine in the Office of Readings for their solemnity, “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 for us by the apostles’ blood.”

If Peter’s mission emphasized professing Christ to his fellow Jews, the Chosen People, Paul’s announcement was to the Gentiles. God “was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles” (Gal 1:16). The similar sentiment is seen in Paul’s second letter to Timothy: “But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Tim 4:17). Paul’s writings constitute a majority of the New Testament texts. His preaching speaks with his blood of the saving power of God available to all in the Church. 

The lives of Peter and Paul reveal the truth that the reward of a crown is greater than the trials of the cross, because God is by our side. Hence the saying: if God is for us, nothing can be against us. These stories remind us that the children of God are victors, they are conquerors; they triumph over uncertainties because God’s grace reigns in their lives.

As we honor these two pillars of the Church, recall the fact that, though they are great saints, they were also ordinary men called to extraordinary vocations. They responded and God used them in ways they could have never imagined. Ponder your own calling in light of theirs and resolve to lay your life down for the Church, joining yourself to these two men so that God can continue their holy mission through you.

Let us pray for the apostolic zeal and missionary spirit of Saints Peter & Paul.