Liturgy Lesson for St. Peter the Apostle: Prince of the Apostles
June 26, 2009
St. Peter—called the Prince of the Apostles—is someone whose life and personality are well painted in the Gospels, Acts, St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, and tradition. He is the “everyman” of the Faith—full of faults, but equally full of heart. When Jesus called him to His service, he was a man known for his fiery temperament and was, most likely, quick with his fists. Born in Bethsaida, a village near Lake Tiberias, he was working in his family fishing business when his brother Andrew introduced him to the young rabbi from out of town—Jesus. In St. Luke, this first meeting with the Lord resulted in a huge draught of fish he captured when Jesus directed him to let his nets down in an unlikely spot—giving us the first glimpse into this man’s nature, when he begged Jesus to “depart from him” after the miraculous catch—owing to St Peter’s conviction of his own ungodly lifestyle in the face of God made man. However, Jesus diffused Peter’s insecurity, by simply saying not to fear—hesitate or dread—because from then on, he would capture men alive. St. Peter believed Him and acted immediately, leaving his business to follow Jesus, and was immediately part of His inner circle, and usually spoke for all the disciples—but most notably at Caesarea Philippi, when he made history’s first confession of Jesus as Messiah—prompting the Lord to establish that confession as the rock the Church would be built upon. St. Peter’s high point in confession contrasts with his low ebb—when his courage failed him, and he denied Jesus three times—as the Lord predicted—and then modeled repentance for us all in bitter tears—because the Lord forgave him, restoring him to leadership of the early Church, preaching history’s greatest sermon, saving 3000 on the spot, and being so full of the Holy Ghost that He healed the sick that Peter’s shadow passed over. He served the Church, according to tradition, for 31 years after the Resurrection, when he died, far from home, in Rome, insisting on crucifixion upside down—because he was not worthy of dying the same way Jesus did. His lesson for us, then, is simple—follow when we’re called, repent hard when we need to, and work with all our heart where the Lord plants us.
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