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St. Peter
O glorious Saint Peter, who, in return for thy strong and generous
faith, thy profound and sincere humility, and they burning love, wast
rewarded by Jesus Christ with singular privileges, and, in particular,
with the leadership of the other Apostles and the primacy of the whole
Church, of which thou wast made the foundation stone, do thou obtain for
us the grace of a lively faith, that shall not fear to profess itself
openly, in its entirety and in all of its manifestations, even to the
shedding of blood, if occasion should demand it, and to sacrifice of
life itself rather than surrender. Obtain for us likewise, a
sincere loyalty to our holy mother, the Church; grant that we may ever
remain most closely and sincerely united to the Roman Pontiff, who is
the heir of thy faith and of thy authority, the one, true, visible Head
of the Catholic Church, that mystic ark outside of which there is no
salvation. Grant, moreover, that we may follow, in all humility
and meekness, her teaching and her advice, and may be obedient to all
her precepts, in order to be able here on earth to enjoy a peace that is
sure and undisturbed, and to attain one day in heaven to everlasting
happiness. Amen.
V. Pray for us, Saint Peter the Apostle,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
LET US PRAY.
O God, who hast given unto Thy blessed Apostle Peter the keys to the
kingdom of heaven, and the power to bind and loose: grant that we may be
delivered, through the help of this intercession, from the slavery of
all our sins: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
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Feast Day - June 29
Simon Peter or Cephas, the first pope, Prince of the Apostles, and
founder, with St. Paul, of the see of Rome.
Peter was a native of Bethsaida, near Lake Tiberias, the son of John,
and worked, like his brother St. Andrew, as a fisherman on Lake
Genesareth. Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus, and Christ called
Peter to become a disciple. In Luke is recounted the story that
Peter caught so large an amount of fish that he fell down before the
feet of Jesus and was told by the Lord, “Do not be afraid; from now on
you will be catching men”. Jesus also gave Simon a new name:
Cephas, or the rock. Becoming a disciple of Jesus, Peter
acknowledged him as "... the Messiah, the son of the living
God”. Christ responded by saying: "... you are Peter and
upon this rock I will build my church.... He added: “I will give
you the keys of 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”. Peter was always listed as the first of the
Apostles in all of the New Testament accounts and was a member of the
inner circle of Jesus, with James and John. He is recorded more
than any other disciple, and was at Jesus’ side at the
Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and the Agony of the
Garden of Gethsemane. He helped organize the Last Supper and
played a major role in the events of the Passion. When the Master
was arrested, he cut off the right ear of a slave of the high priest
Malchus and then denied Christ three times as the Lord predicted.
Peter then “went out and began to weep bitterly”. After the
Resurrection, Peter went to the tomb with the “other disciple” after
being told of the event by the women. The first appearance of the
Risen Christ was before Peter, ahead of the other disciples, and when
the Lord came before the disciples at Tiberias, he gave to Peter the
famous command to “Feed my lambs.... Tend my sheep.... Feed my
sheep”. In the time immediately after the Ascension, Peter stood
as the unquestionable head of the Apostles, his position made evident in
the Acts. He appointed the replacement of Judas Iscariot; he spoke
first to the crowds that had assembled after the descent of the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost; he was the first Apostle to perform miracles in the
name of the Lord; and he rendered judgment upon the deceitful Ananias
and Sapphira. Peter was instrumental in bringing the Gospel to the
Gentiles. He baptized the Roman pagan Cornelius, and at the
Council of Jerusalem he gave his support to preaching to Gentiles,
thereby permitting the new Church to become universal. Imprisoned
by King Herod Agrippa, he was aided in an escape by an angel. He
then resumed his apostolate in Jerusalem and his missionary efforts
included travels to such cities of the pagan world as Antioch, Corinth,
and eventually Rome. He made reference to the Eternal City in his
first Epistle by noting that he writes from Babylon . It is
certain that Peter died in Rome and that his martyrdom came during the
reign of Emperor Nero, probably in 64. Testimony of his martyrdom
is extensive, including Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Clement I of
Rome, St. Ignatius, and St. Irenaeus. According to rich tradition,
Peter was crucified on the Vatican Hill upside down because he declared
himself unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord. He was
then buried on Vatican Hill, and excavations under St. Peter’s
Basilica have unearthed his probable tomb, and his relics are now
enshrined under the high altar of St. Peter’s. From the earliest
days of the Church, Peter was recognized as the Prince of the Apostles
and the first Supreme Pontiff; his see, Rome, has thus enjoyed the
position of primacy over the entire Roman Catholic Church. While
Peter’s chief feast day is June 29, he is also honoured on February 22
and November 18. In liturgical art, he is depicted as an elderly
man holding a key and a book. His symbols include an inverted
cross, a boat, and the cock.
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