SOLEMNITY OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES
Pillars of the Church
Greeting (See Second Reading)
May the Lord stand by you
and give you power.
May he rescue you from all evil
and bring you safely to his kingdom.
May he always be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction
Today we celebrate with joy the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. They are the two pillars on whom our Lord built his Church and to whom he entrusted the faith. Their own faith had been tested, when Peter denied Christ and Paul persecuted Christ in his disciples. Then their faith was strengthened and they dedicated their whole life to the spread of the Gospel. We can learn from them today how to let Christ possess us so much that we live for him and his Church and are even willing to suffer for that faith. Let us give thanks today to the Lord for giving us these great apostles.
Penitential Act
We ask the Lord to forgive us our sins,
that we may share more deeply in the Eucharist.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, with the apostle Peter
we profess that you are the Christ,
the Son of the living God:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, with the apostle Paul
we profess that we are alive because you live in us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, in the fullness of time
all things are to be made one in you,
in heaven and on earth:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins
Unite us in one faith, one love,
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen, (or:)
Opening Prayer
United in faith with Peter and Paul,
let us pray to God for fidelity and zeal
(pause)
Lord our God, we thank you today
for your apostles Peter and Paul.
Give us their faith and fidelity,
that we may build up among us
the Church for which they lived and died
as a community of faith and love.
Give us their conviction and courage
to let the whole world share in the Good News
of your Son Jesus Christ,
that he may be everything to all,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.
First Reading • Acts 12:1-11: The Gospel Cannot Be Chained
Peter is imprisoned for preaching Christ’s liberating message. While the young Church prays for Peter, God frees his faithful apostle. For the Gospel cannot be chained.
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 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: 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.
Second Reading • 2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18: A Faithful Apostle to the Faithful Lord
At the end of his life Paul can testify that he has been a faithful witness to the Lord, who has been faithful to him and given him strength. Now he looks forward to encountering the Lord for ever.
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.
Alleluia: Mt 16:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel • Matthew 16:13-19: Peter, The Rock
Peter, the man of faith who acknowledges Christ as the Messiah, is made the rock on which the Lord builds his Church, which he will never abandon. Peter is for the Church the center of faith, authority, and unity.
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.”
Intercessions
Let us pray today for the Church, the People of God on the march, that we may truly be the Church of Christ. Let us say: R/ Lord, remember your Church.
- For the Church in our time, that the Holy Spirit may guide it through the present pains of renewal, keep it faithful to the Gospel and speak its message in the language of our time, let us pray: R/ Lord, remember your Church.
- For the Pope, Peter’s successor, that he may be our rock of faith and the sign of unity in the Church, let us pray: R/ Lord, remember your Church.
- For our bishops, that they may exercise their authority as a service to building community; for priests and religious, that they may bear witness to what they preach by their way of living the Gospel, let us pray: R/ Lord, remember your Church.
- For missionaries, that they may proclaim the Gospel as Good News to all and help each people and culture to encounter Christ each in its own way, let us pray: R/ Lord, remember your Church.
- For all Christians, that they may have compassionate hearts, open to all who suffer and who are in need, to bring them healing and help, let us pray: R/ Lord, remember your Church.
- For us here and all Christian communities, that we may build up one another in faith and love, let us pray: R/ Lord, remember your Church.
God our Father, your Son promised to be with his Church until the end of time. Let him stay with us always for he is our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these signs of bread and wine
you are about to give us Jesus, your Son.
Make us aware
that you let him come among us
not to keep him to ourselves
as a prized possession,
but, like your apostles Peter and Paul,
to take him to all people far and near.
Make your Son recognizable in us,
that all people may praise you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
With the whole Church of Peter and Paul, with all who are strengthened and united by their faith and with all who are inspired by their missionary zeal, we now join in the sacrifice of our one Lord Jesus Christ.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
Concerned, with Peter and Paul,
to make God’s kingdom come to all the world,
we now pray Jesus’ prayer to the Father: R/ Our Father…
Deliver Us
Deliver your Church, Lord, from every evil
and grant it freedom and peace.
Help us to build up together
a community of faith and love
in which people can recognize the face
of him for whose return in glory we wait in joyful hope,
our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…
Invitation to Communion
This is Christ,
the Son of the living God,
who has the words of eternal life.
To whom else should we go?
Happy are we to be invited
to the table of the Lord. RJ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God, in Peter and Paul,
the two pillars of your Church,
you have exemplified two characteristics
of the body of your Son:
fidelity to the living tradition
and to missionary dynamism.
Let the Spirit of Jesus stay with us
to give always room to both,
that in the diversity of gifts
we may all be united
in one loyalty and faith,
in Jesus Christ, our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
Let us ask for God’s blessing,
that we may be the Church of Peter,
firm in the faith, built on rock,
united as the one body of Christ
which cannot be overcome.
May we also be the Church of Paul,
dynamic, without boundaries,
restless until Christ is known to all.
May God bless you and this one Church:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Let us go and be to the whole world
the body of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.
Reflection:
29 June 2024
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES
Mt 16:13-19
Christ, the Living stone.
The solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul invites us to rediscover our missionary zeal in bringing Christ to people. Peter and Paul might seem like an unusual duo to share the same feast day! Peter, a fisherman, was the first to respond to Jesus’ call, while Paul, a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christians, was called later to be an apostle. Both of them underwent a significant change of heart and conversion.
Simon had a great love for Jesus, but in a moment of weakness, he denied the master three times. However, he was chosen to be the leader of the apostles. Similarly, the passionate Saul, who once tried to destroy Christ’s followers, was chosen to become Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.
In Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asks his disciples two questions: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” and “Who do you say that I am?” The initial question elicited straightforward responses: the public regarded him as a notable historical figure – either John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the ancient prophets (vv. 13-14). However, Jesus remained unmoved by people’s admiration.
Peter’s response to the second question, was his profession of faith in the Lord – “You are the Messiah!” Jesus recognized Peter’s strong faith, comparing it to the strength of stones used in construction. In Aramaic, “Cephas” refers to construction stones. Jesus would use the faith of the disciples as the stones to build his Church. And the solid, immovable “rock” on which this Church is built is Christ himself.
The Apostles are given the keys and the authority of binding and loosing. The analogy of ‘keys’ was used by Rabbis to refer to the authority to interpret the Torah, which belonged to Scribes and teachers of the Law. Jesus now empowers Peter and the apostles to unlock the scriptures. They are now tasked with revealing the true face of God to humanity through the scriptures. Jesus entrusts Peter with the responsibility of opening wide the entrances to the Gospel of Christ for all.