Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles. Since our celebration of the Paschal Triduum and the conclusion of Eastertide on Pentecost, the Church has continued its celebration with the highest solemnity on the days of Corpus Christi and Trinity Sunday. This Sunday is no different. The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul honors the life, and especially the martyrdom, of these two great Apostles. Saints Peter and Paul were men who both experienced extraordinary receptions of grace in their lives. The conversion of Paul is well documented by Paul himself through the writings of Luke in Acts of the Apostles.


The first reading and the Gospel passage for today share a common theme. God never abandons those whom He has called and chosen. He always offers the gift of grace. In the pericope of the first reading, Peter is delivered from the hands of Herod Agrippa to safety through angelic intervention. The Acts of the Apostles shares with us that these miraculous events occurred on the very night Peter was to be brought to trial. A little last minute, huh? Although it appears this way, we know that God’s timing is always perfect, for He exists outside of time and chooses to interact with Creation in a very intentional way. Looking at this pericope through the lens of the Gospel message today, we can extrapolate a connection rooted in grace and cooperation with grace.

All the sacraments of the Church were instituted by Christ himself and have scriptural origins. There are a few passages in the Gospels that can be interpreted as the institution of the Apostle’s power over sin and the gift of the Sacrament of Penance, and one of these is found in today’s Gospel. Today we hear of Peter’s reception of the Petrine ministry as the rock of the Church along with his power to bind and loose sin on earth. Christ, working through His priests bestows upon the penitent the grace to be delivered from sin and to begin life anew. The first reading and Gospel passage on this Solemnity reminds us of God’s gift of deliverance from both spiritual and physical suffering. The first reading teaches us that physical chains cannot withstand the power of the Lord, and the Gospel empowers us in knowing that supernatural chains cannot withstand the power of the Lord when we cooperate with His grace. Let us continue to realize the reality of God’s pouring out of grace in our own lives.


God Bless,


Joseph