Peter,
who was named Simon, was a fisherman from Galilee. Jesus gave him the
name Peter, which means ‘Rock,’ because he was to become the rock upon
which Christ would build His Church. Among the Twelve, Peter was the
first to recognize the divinity of Christ and to publicly profess that
Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. Chosen by Our Lord to shepherd His
flock, he led the Apostles as the first Pope.
Peter and the
apostles James and John were often taken aside by Our Lord and were
witnesses to the more profound mysteries of Christ's divinity: His
Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, His agony in the Garden. Peter's triple
denial of Our Lord during the night after the Last Supper filled him
with intense sorrow.
Peter became head of the Church in Rome and
was martyred in the year 64. He was crucified upside-down at his own
request, because he claimed he was not worthy to die as his Lord. He was
buried on Vatican hill, and St. Peter's Basilica is built over his
tomb.
Paul is known as the Apostle of the Gentiles. Before
receiving the name Paul, he was Saul, a Jewish Pharisee who zealously
persecuted Christians in Jerusalem.
Saul was traveling to
Damascus to persecute Christians when he was surrounded by a light from
heaven. He was blinded and fell from his horse. He then heard a voice
saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He answered: “Who
are you, Lord?” Christ said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Saul
continued to Damascus, where he was baptized and his sight was
restored. He took the name Paul and spent the remainder of his life
preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Paul was imprisoned and
taken to Rome, where he was beheaded in the year 67. He is buried in
Rome in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
In speaking
of St. Peter and St. Paul, Augustine of Hippo said of them: “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 for us
by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life,
their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of
faith.”
Second Photo by: Wolfgang Moroder
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