St. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee. St. Paul was a highly educated Pharisee and Roman citizen. Peter was one of the Twelve Apostles who walked with Jesus throughout His public ministry. Paul never met Christ during His earthly life, but encountered the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus.
Peter became the shepherd of Christ's flock. Paul became the great missionary to the Gentiles.
They had different personalities, different backgrounds, and even disagreed with one another at times.
So why does the Church celebrate them together on the same day?
Tradition holds that both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome during the persecution of Emperor Nero, likely in the year A.D. 67 and, according to some ancient traditions, even on the same day. Peter was crucified upside down, feeling unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. Paul, as a Roman citizen, was beheaded outside the city walls.
Their deaths forever linked them to Rome.
Even today, pilgrims to the Eternal City can pray at the places where each gave his life for Christ. St. Peter's Basilica stands over the tomb of the first pope, while the magnificent Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls was built over the burial place of the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Peter received the keys to the Kingdom and became the visible head of the Church. Paul preached Christ throughout the Roman Empire. One strengthened the Church from within. The other helped spread it to the nations.
Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this feast shortly after his election:
"The Feast of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is at the same time a grateful memorial of the great witnesses of Jesus Christ and a solemn confession for the Church: one, holy, catholic and apostolic." — Pope Benedict XVI, Homily for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2005, Vatican Basilica.
Pope Benedict expressed how the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29) is also a feast of the Church herself.
Their lives remind us that God does not call identical people to build His Church. He calls people with different gifts, different personalities, and different stories. United in Christ, Peter and Paul helped lay the foundation upon which the Church still stands nearly two thousand years later.
Celebrate the feast of the Prince of the Apostles with our St. Peter Parish Roast Coffee. Inspired by the Rock on whom Christ built His Church, this smooth medium roast is a simple reminder of the unity we share as Catholics around the world. Want to share it with your parish, we also have 2lb. and 5lb. bags! Find yours today at The Catholic Company!
