Commemorated on June 29
Sermon of Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
Today the Holy Church piously remembers the sufferings of the Holy Glorious and All-Praised Apostles Peter and Paul.
St.
Peter, the fervent follower of Jesus Christ, for the profound
confession of His Divinity: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living
God," was deemed worthy by the Savior to hear in answer, "Blessed art
thou, Simon ... I tell thee, that thou art Peter [Petrus], and on this
stone [petra] I build My Church" (Mt.16:16-18). On "this stone" [petra],
is on that which thou sayest: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
Living God" it is on this thy confession I build My Church. Wherefore
the "thou art Peter": it is from the "stone" [petra] that Peter [Petrus]
is, and not from Peter [Petrus] that the "stone" [petra] is, just as
the Christian is from Christ, and not Christ from the Christian. Do you
want to know, from what sort of "rock" [petra] the Apostle Peter
[Petrus] was named? Hear the Apostle Paul: "Brethren, I do not want ye
to be ignorant," says the Apostle of Christ, "how all our fathers were
all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all drink the
same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that
followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (1 Cor.10: 1-4). Here is the
from whence the "Rock" is Peter.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the
final days of His earthly life, in the days of His mission to the race
of man, chose from among the disciples His twelve Apostles to preach the
Word of God. Among them, the Apostle Peter for his fiery ardor was
vouchsafed to occupy the first place (Mt.10:2) and to be as it were the
representative person for all the Church. Therefore it is said to him,
preferentially, after the confession: "I will give unto thee the keys of
the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall
be bound in the heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth: shall
be loosed in heaven" (Mt.16: 19). Therefore it was not one man, but
rather the One Universal Church, that received these "keys" and the
right "to bind and loosen." And that it was actually the Church that
received this right, and not exclusively a single person, turn your
attention to another place of the Scriptures, where the same Lord says
to all His Apostles, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit" and further after
this, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: and
whose soever sins ye retain, are retained" (John 20: 22-23); or:
"whatsoever ye bind upon the earth, shall be bound in Heaven: and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosened in heaven"
(Mt.18:18). Thus, it is the Church that binds, the Church that loosens;
the Church, built upon the foundational cornerstone, Jesus Christ
Himself (Eph 2:20), doth bind and loosen. Let both the binding and the
loosening be feared: the loosening, in order not to fall under this
again; the binding, in order not to remain forever in this condition.
Therefore "Iniquities ensnare a man, and everyone is bound in the chains
of his own sins," says Wisdom (Prov 5:22); and except for Holy Church
nowhere is it possible to receive the loosening.
After His
Resurrection the Lord entrusted the Apostle Peter to shepherd His
spiritual flock not because, that among the disciples only Peter alone
was pre-deserved to shepherd the flock of Christ, but Christ addresses
Himself chiefly to Peter because, that Peter was first among the
Apostles and as such the representative of the Church; besides which,
having turned in this instance to Peter alone, as to the top Apostle,
Christ by this confirms the unity of the Church. "Simon of John" -- says
the Lord to Peter -- "lovest thou Me?" -- and the Apostle answered:
"Yea, Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee"; and a second time it was
thus asked, and a second time he thus answered; being asked a third
time, seeing that as it were not believed, he was saddened. But how is
it possible for him not to believe That One, Who knew his heart? And
wherefore then Peter answered: "Lord, Thou knowest all; Thou knowest
that I love Thee." "And sayeth Jesus to him" all three times "Feed My
sheep" (John 20:15-17).
Besides this, the triple appealing of the
Savior to Peter and the triple confession of Peter before the Lord had a
particular beneficial purpose for the Apostle. That one, to whom was
given "the keys of the kingdom" and the right "to bind and to loose,"
bound himself thrice by fear and cowardice (Mt.26:69-75), and the Lord
thrice loosens him by His appeal and in turn by his confession of strong
love. And to shepherd literally the flock of Christ was acquired by all
the Apostles and their successors. "Take heed, therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock," the Apostle Paul urges church
presbyters, "over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed
the Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood"
(Acts 20:28); and the Apostle Peter to the elders: "Feed the flock of
God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by constraint,
but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as
being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. And
when is appeared the Prince of pastors, ye will receive unfading crowns
of glory" (1 Pet. 5:2-4).
It is remarkable that Christ, having
said to Peter: "Feed My sheep," did not say: "Feed thy sheep," but
rather to feed, good servant, the sheep of the Lord. "Is Christ divided?
was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"
(1 Cor.1:13). "Feed My sheep". Wherefore "wolfish robbers, wolfish
oppressors, deceitful teachers and mercenaries, not being concerned
about the flock" (Mt.7:15; Acts 20:29; 2 Pet 2:1; John 10:12), having
plundered a strange flock and making of the spoils as though it be of
their own particular gain, they think that they feed their flock. Such
are not good pastors, as pastors of the Lord. "The good shepherd giveth
his life for the sheep" (John 10:11), entrusted to Him by the chief
Shepherd Himself (1 Pet 5:4). And the Apostle Peter, true to his
calling, gave his soul for the very flock of Christ, having sealed his
apostleship by a martyr's death, is now glorified throughout all the
world.
The Apostle Paul, formerly Saul, was changed from a
robbing wolf into a meek lamb. Formerly he was an enemy of the Church,
then is manifest as an Apostle. Formerly he stalked it, then preached
it. Having received from the high priests the authority at large to
throw all Christians in chains for execution, he was already on the way,
he breathed out "threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of
the Lord" (Acts 9:1), he thirsted for blood, but "He that dwells in the
Heavens shall laugh him to scorn" (Ps 2:4). When he, "having persecuted
and vexed" in such manner "the Church of God" (1Cor.15:9; Acts 8:5), he
came near Damascus, and the Lord from Heaven called to him: "Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou Me?" and I am here, and I am there, I am
everywhere: here is My head; there is My body. There becomes nothing of a
surprise in this; we ourselves are members of the Body of Christ.
"Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me; it is hard for thee to kick
against the goad" (Acts 9:4-5). Saul, however, "trembling and
frightened", cried out: "Who art Thou, Lord?" The Lord answered him, "I
am Jesus Whom thou persecutest."
And Saul suddenly undergoes a
change: "What wantest Thou me to do?" -- he cries out. And suddenly for
him there is the Voice: "Arise, and go to the city, and it shall be told
thee what thou must do" (Acts 9:6). Here the Lord sends Ananias: "Arise
and go into the street" to a man, "by the name of Saul," and baptize
him, "for this one is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before
the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel" (Acts 9: 11, 15,
18). This vessel must be filled with My Grace. "Ananias, however,
answered: Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he
hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from
the chief priests to bind all who call on Thy Name" (Acts 9:13-14). But
the Lord urgently commands Ananias: "Search for and fetch him, for this
vessel is chosen by Me: for I shall show him what great things he must
suffer for My name's sake" (Acts 9:11, 15-16).
And actually the
Lord did show the Apostle Paul what things he had to suffer for His
Name. He instructed him the deeds; He did not stop at the chains, the
fetters, the prisons and shipwrecks; He Himself felt for him in his
sufferings, He Himself guided him towards this day. On a single day the
memory of the sufferings of both these Apostles is celebrated, though
they suffered on separate days, but by the spirit and the closeness of
their suffering they constitute one. Peter went first, and Paul followed
soon after him. Formerly called Saul, and then Paul, having transformed
his pride into humility. His very name (Paulus), meaning "small,
little, less," demonstrates this. What is the Apostle Paul after this?
Ask him, and he himself gives answer to this: "I am," says he, "the
least of the Apostles... but I have labored more abundantly than all of
them: yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me" (1
Cor.15:9-10).
And so, brethren, celebrating now the memory of the
holy Apostles Peter and Paul, remembering their venerable sufferings,
we esteem their true faith and holy life, we esteem the innocence of
their sufferings and pure confession. Loving in them the sublime quality
and imitating them by great exploits, "in which to be likened to them"
(2 Thess 3: 5-9), and we shall attain to that eternal bliss which is
prepared for all the saints. The path of our life before was more
grievous, thornier, harder, but "we also are compassed about with so
great a cloud of witnesses" (Heb 12: 1), having passed by along it, made
now for us easier, and lighter, and more readily passable. First there
passed along it "the author and finisher of our faith," our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself (Heb 12: 2); His daring Apostles followed after Him; then
the martyrs, children, women, virgins and a great multitude of
witnesses. Who acted in them and helped them on this path? He Who said,
"Without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15: 5).
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 labors 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 honor
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!
SOURCE:
SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2014(with 2013's link here also and further:, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 and even 2008!):