Feast of Ss Peter and Paul
Categories: reading, feast-days, interesting-sites
Date: 29 June 2008 02:07:23
Troparion - Tone 4:
First-enthroned of the apostles,
teachers of the universe:Entreat the Master of all
to grant peace to the world,
and to our souls great mercy!
Kontakion - Tone 2:
O Lord, You have taken up to eternal rest
and to the enjoyment of Your blessings
the two divinely-inspired preachers, the leaders of the Apostles,
for You have accepted their labours and deaths as a sweet-smelling sacrifice,
for You alone know what lies in the hearts of men.
Kontakion - Tone 2:
Today Christ the Rock glorifies with highest honour
The rock of Faith and leader of the Apostles,
Together with Paul and the company of the twelve,
Whose memory we celebrate with eagerness of faith,
Giving glory to the one who gave glory to them!
As I wrote last year, this is one of my favourite icons, as it shows St Peter, foremost of the Apostles, and St Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, embracing, and thus showing their love for one another and their unity, despite the differences they had and which needed to be worked through in the early years of the Church.
Interestingly enough I only yesterday finished a book I borrowed from the library, The Bones of St. Peter: A Fascinating Account of the Search for the Apostle's Body. Written by, I thought, the interestingly-middle-named John Evangelist Walsh, it truly was "a fascinating account" of how the grave and bones of St Peter were discovered under St Peter's. John Walsh has pit together a truly interesting read of the search, and combined with diagrams and photos, it truly is a fascinating read. In addition, it did also make me realise that on my one trip to St Peter's, as a 21-year-old on a Contiki tour and one not really interested in church-y things, as well as being a rather immature male at 21, I did miss out on quite a bit. I'll have to try and get back.
I noted on my wonderful Dave Walker Guide to Church 2008 Calendar that this is also a feast day in the Anglican Church, as I know it is in the Catholic Church: so it is a great festal day in many of the Christian churches. And an important one I believe: to me, it is important we remember those who helped form the foundations of the Church; those entrusted and chosen by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to bring the Good News to those all over the world. And may we, in whatever capacity we can, follow their example of living in Christ.
On the topic of Dave Walker's wonderful work, his 2009 Calendar: Things to take to church is available [I'm ordering several once pay-day arrives: they proved greatly enjoyed presents last Christmas], as are many other books by talented him. Check out his website for more information.
[ Edit: I've also discovered that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has proclaimed a Pauline jubilee year from June 28th 2008 to June 29th 2009, to commemorate the 2,000th anniversary of the apostle's birth. ]