The Holy, Glorious, All-Praiseworthy and Chief Apostles Peter and Paul; Passing into Eternal Life (1941) of Blessed Iakym (Joachim) (Senkivsky), Basilian Protohegoumen and Martyr of Drohobych, where his body was boiled
2 Corinthians 11:21-12:9; Matthew 16:13-19
Read Matthew 16:13-19
After asking His disciples who “people” in general say that He is, Jesus asks them Who they say He is. Simon in his usual fashion speaks up as the head of the apostles and declares, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16). Jesus realizes that the Father revealed this to him and consequently renames him “Peter,” promises that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church, and gives him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. If we read a bit further ahead into chapter 17, we come to the account of the Transfiguration. In the gospels, “transfiguration” doesn’t mean changing from one thing to another as it does in the Harry Potter series. Jesus modified His form so that Peter, James, and John could see His true identity. In Mt. 16:16 Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and in Mt. 17:2 he beholds this reality in an intimate way.
Today we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. We know that Peter was given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, but he does not work alone. Paul is known as the “apostle to the Gentiles” since he made it his mission to evangelize non-Jews. Although Peter and Paul did not always see eye-to-eye, they both zealously served God, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, and gave their lives as martyrs. Peter denied Christ three times and Paul persecuted Christians before his conversion, but God still willed for these men to be numbered among the greatest saints. Regardless of our pasts, every moment is an opportunity to make a decision to change our hearts and follow God’s will for us.