It was in the year 258 A.D. when the Christian Church decided to establish a feast day honoring Saints Peter and Paul as the two leading figures of apostolic times. In recognition of their tremendous contributions in the spreading of the Gospel and in the growth of the early Church, the Church named them as petvoverhovnie and pervoprestolinie Apostles, respectively, chief (of the Apostles) and occupying the first seats (among the Apostles).
Shown together on the fetival's icon, Peter and Paul, however, became Apostles in different ways. Peter was chosen by Christ and was with Him throughout His earthly ministry. Paul, who was a Pharisee and an outright persecutor of Christians, was converted to Christianity by revelation on the road to Damascus. This happened in the early days of the Church shortly after Saint Stephen was stoned to death, to which Paul was witness. Both were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit: Peter, at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the form of fiery tongues, and Paul, by the laying on of hands by those already recognized as possesing the Holy Spirit.
We read about their devotion to Christ and their labors for the Christian faith in the Acts of the Apostles written by Saint Luke and, also, in the 21 epistles found in the Bible. Of the latter, fourteen were written by Saint Paul and two by Saint Peter. It is, indeed a fascinating and remarkable record of achievements.
In the above writings, we learn that after Peter's sermon to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 of them became Christians through baptism. Peter then continued his missionary activities in Asia Minor, Palestine, Italy and Illyria. A pillar of the Faith, he performed many miracles, healing the sick and raising the dead. Even his shadow healed the sick. Traveling extensively, Paul preached everywhere he went, founded numerous Christian communities, performed miracles and suffered greatly for the Faith. While not one of the Twelve Apostles, Paul, nonetheless, considered himself a true Apostle of Christ. He became, indeed, the greatest of the Apostles in zeal and sacrifice for the Gospel. The most outstanding missionary for Christianity, Paul has been called the "One after the One", that is, after Christ as the second founder of the Church.Interestingly, the two giants of the early Church were unlike one another in many ways. Peter was a fisherman, Paul a scholar. Peter was married, while Paul was single. Peter was a simple, impulsive person. Paul was a thinker, a philosopher of great erudition. Yet they had one thing in common: they were one in their devotion to Christ in their missionary zeal to propagate the Christian faith. And both sealed with their blood the testimony of their faith. Peter was crucified, head downward at his request in Rome on June 29th, the same day that Paul was beheaded in that city. Their martyrdom occured in the year 67 A.D. during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Nero. Peter was crucified on a cross as was Jesus, but in Peter's case, upside down, because he felt unworthy to share the same manner of death as Christ.
The troparion for the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul contains these words:
Tropar to Saints Peter and Paul
O Leaders of the Apostles and teachers of the
Universe, entreat the Master of All, grant peace
to the world and to our souls, great mercy.
Peter's and Paul's characterization as teachers of the world, I suggest, has relevance for us in our own fate, for it is, indeed, incumbent upon us all to make our world a better place in which to live and work. And lest we forget, we need to be reminded that both of them gained their fame as teachers of the world in the field of religion, and did so simply by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like them, we too, must live and spread the good news of the Gospel if we are to make a much needed and definitely positive on our society.
Let us meditate on the following excerpt from the writings of Saint Silouan of Mount Athos.
"After the Lord's Ascension, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem with great joy as the Gospel says (Luke 24:52). The Lord knows what joy He gave them, and their souls lived this joy. Their first joy was that they came to know the true Lord Jesus Christ. Their second joy was that they loved Him. Their third joy, that they came to know eternal, heavenly life. And their fourth joy was that they longed for the salvation of the world, as for their own salvation. And, finally, they rejoiced because they came to know the Holy Spirit and saw how He acts inside them.
The Apostles traveled the earth and preached the word about the Lord and the Kingdom of Heaven. Their souls, however, longed and thirsted to see their beloved Lord. For this reason they did not fear death but faced it with joy. And if they wished to live in earth, this was only for the sake of the people whom they loved.
They feared neither martyrdom nor death and for this reason the Lord sent them out into the world to enlighten the people."
In the Orthodox Church, we celebrate the memory of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th. A period of fasting, know as the Fast of Saints Peter and Paul is prescribed by the Church to spiritually prepare the faithful for these observances. Since the length of this fast is regulated by the movable date of Pentecost, the Lenten period varies accordingly. Mindful of Saint Basil's teaching that a real fast is "estrangement from evil", Orthodox Christians are taught to fast not only from meat and dairy products but also from sinful acts, thoughts, sights, sounds, and sins in general.
As we prepare ourselves spiritually to commemorate the feast days of Saints Peter and Paul, let us also strive to have in our hearts, as they did, the joy of knowing Jesus Christ, the joy of loving Him, the joy of knowing eternal life, the joy of longing for the world's salvation and the joy of experiencing the Holy Spirit.
Let us close by invoking the blessing of the holy, glorious and all-laudable Apostles upon us, asking them to intercede before Christ our God for the salvation of our souls.