Dear Parishioners and Friends,
This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles. Every Sunday in the month of June this year has been a solemnity, the highest level or rank in the Church’s liturgical calendar. Next week’s return to true Ordinary Time as the 14th Sunday of the Year will seem to pale in comparison to these special Sundays of June.
However, it’s always a pleasant and somewhat uplifting experience to celebrate a special feast day on a Sunday when a larger portion of the parish community gathers together. Additionally, the papal transition we have experienced over the past few months makes it even more appropriate to celebrate the two great saints of Rome, Peter and Paul.
Pope Leo XIV has already visited the four major basilicas in Rome, including St. Paul Outside the Walls where Paul’s remains are buried. He also visited St. Mary Major where the remains of his predecessor, Pope Francis, are buried.
If you have ever visited Rome you know how much the presence of Saints Peter and Paul pervades the Eternal City. Just as the two gigantic marble statues of Peter and Paul stand in the piazza of St. Peter’s Basilica, their aura looms over everything you see. Go into Santa Maria del Popolo to view Caravaggio’s dramatic renderings of Peter’s upside-down crucifixion, and Paul’s fall from his horse at the moment of his conversion. This is a moment you will never forget!
Both Peter and Paul were martyred by Emperor Nero, perhaps around the year 67. Unlike Peter, Paul was a Roman citizen, which gave him the right to a trial and, when he was convicted, to a quick execution.
There is a legend that the city of Rome was founded by two brothers, Romulus and Remus, who were raised by wolves. Peter and Paul came to be called the new founders of Rome.
Although these two were very different in temperament and talent, they shared a great bond, having been called forth from Jesus’s love. Their improbable rise to leadership roles in the infant church reminds us that anything is possible with God, who gives us the ability to use our gifts for the spread of the Gospel in the world around us, even with all our weakness and sinfulness.
Today, let us pray especially for Pope Leo as he takes on the mantle of leadership for the Church. His role as a symbol of unity for the Christian world is more important than ever. May the good work which God has begun in him be brought to completion!
Blessings on your week ahead!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.
Pastor