The Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-praiseworthy Apostle Peter.
Hebrews 10:35-11:7; Mark 9:10-16.
Read Hebrews 10:35-11:7
Today we celebrate the feast of the veneration of the chains of St. Peter. We can read the account of Peter’s arrest and subsequent miraculous liberation from prison in Acts 12:1-19. Having been “bound with two chains” and “sleeping between two soldiers” (Acts 12:6), “an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his hands” (Acts 12:7). After Peter was led to safety and came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting” (Acts 12:11). Christians took Peter’s chains and safeguarded them. Over the centuries, those who approached the chains with faith received healing.
Today’s reading from the letter to the Hebrews begins with an instruction: “do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised” (Heb. 10:35-36). We are instructed not to lose our confidence. It is important to remember that faith is described as “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Focusing on Peter’s chains, we reflect not only on his imprisonment and suffering for the glory of God but also on God’s care for us. In the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus was arrested, Jesus had prayed: “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done” (Mt. 26:42). God had willed for Peter to be miraculously freed from his chains, but He did not will for His own Son to be freed from His. Yet, there were other times Jesus did escape harm, such as when He escaped being stoned to death (see Jn. 8:59).
In faith, we must realize that God is control. He is a loving Father and always wills what is best for us. At all times, we should pray that God’s will be done. Peter was able to escape from prison and be freed from his chains according to the will of God, and also according to the will of God he would later die a martyr’s death. He endured to the end and received the great reward which God promised to him. Let us all live our lives to glorify God and pray that His will be done in us.