Last Sunday, we celebrate a solemnity of the beginnings of Christianity. Saints Peter and Paul are considered as the First Pillars of the Holy Roman See and of the Universal Church. They founded the Church of Rome, and both paid supreme witness by glorious martyrdoms under Emperor Nero.
In the early 60’s just around 30 years after the death of Jesus, St Peter was crucified upside down in courtyard of where St Peter’s Basilica now stands and near where the Swiss Guards stand on duty. The High Altar of the Basilica stands directly over his tomb. St Paul was beheaded outside the walls of Rome and the place where he was martyred is now known as Tre Fontane (Italian for three fountains). According to tradition, when he was beheaded, his head is said to have bounced three times, and three springs of water miraculously appeared on those spots. St Paul’s Basilica is built over the place where St Paul was buried, and excavations have verified that the High Atlar is situated directly over his tomb.
St Peter was the first Pope, the rock of unity and visible head of the Church. St Paul was the great missionary Apostle who brought huge numbers on gentiles into the Church. He was zealous and highly educated as a Pharisee, with a great knowledge of the Scriptures. Both saints taught that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. St Peter and his successors have been given the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to teach infallibly in Faith and Morals when teaching ex cathedra. That is, as Supreme Pastor.
In the first reading, egged on by the Jewish leaders, Herod arrested St Peter and put him in the maximum-security prison awaiting trial. He was secured by double chains. His wrists were chained to the wrists of two guards and there were four squads of guards on duty in the prison. From a natural point of view, escape was completely impossible. But what is impossible for man is not impossible for God. The Church prayed constantly for St Peter and an Angel appeared and the chains fell from his wrists. The Angel guided him through the maze of dungeons and past the outer guards and through the locked main iron gate of the prison complex which opened by itself. Only God could free Peter, all he had to do was to believe and obey.
Our sins and selfishness are the chains that bind us to frustration and anxiety. The devil and sinful world are the guards. By our own strength, we can do nothing. We need God’s grace, which we obtain through prayer and the sacraments.
In the second reading, St Paul towards the end of his life said:
I have run the race to the finish, I have kept the Faith.
We live in a neo-pagan and morally polluted world today. There are many fashions and temptations which undermine our Faith and the dignity of the human person. This reminds me of the story of someone who went against the trend. In 2004 Emma Gunderson an eleven year old American girl , went into a popular fashion store to buy a pair of jeans. But she could not find a modest pair of jeans, they were either so loose that they would fall down or to tight that she would have to wear them low, which would be provocative. As a Christian she knew that her body was a temple of the Holy Spirit and she had learnt the importance of modesty by her involvement in a girl’s programme called Pure Fashion. She decided to write a public letter to the fashion store company and voiced her concerns and those of many. She ended up being interviewed on TV and there were a number of newspaper articles which created a media firestorm. In response the Fashion retailer decided to create a new category of dress called: Modern and Modest. The Pure Fashion apostolate really took off and is now in twenty-four cities in the USA and in nine countries. This shows what one person can achieve when they speak up for modesty. They can make such a difference. We are all called to be ambassadors for Christ and to have a missionary outlook. In this way we can make a difference in the lives of others.
In order to stand up for Christian standards we need to be spiritually strong and we grow stronger through prayer and the sacraments. Saints Peter and Paul are the great witnesses for the faith, let’s do our little bit every day by witnessing to our faith by the way we dress, act, speak and pray. Let’s desire that Jesus work and act through us with His Holy Will. He wants us to be His hands and feet in working to build up the Kingdom of God.
Saints Peter and Paul pray for us!