The Lives of the Saints
1. THE HOLY APOSTLE PETER
The son of Jonah, the brother of Andrew the First-Called, of the tribe of Simeon, from the city of Bethsaida. He was a fisherman, and was first called Simeon, but the Lord was pleased to name him Cephas, or Peter (John 1:42). He was the first of the disciples to clearly express his faith in the Lord Jesus, saying: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16). His love for the Lord was great, and his faith in the Lord was gradually strengthened. When the Lord was brought to trial, Peter denied Him three times, but one look into the face of the Lord — and Peter's soul was filled with shame and repentance. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter appears as a fearless and powerful preacher of the Gospel. After one of his sermons in Jerusalem about three thousand souls were converted to the faith. He preached the Gospel in Palestine and Asia Minor, in Illyricum and Italy. He performed mighty miracles: he healed the sick, raised the dead; even from his shadow the sick were healed. He had a great battle with Simon the Sorcerer, who presented himself as a god but in reality was a servant of Satan. At last he put him to shame and defeated him. By the command of the wicked Emperor Nero, Simon's friend, Peter was condemned to death. Having appointed Linus as bishop in Rome and having counseled and consoled the flock of Christ, Peter went joyfully to his death. Seeing the cross before him, he begged his executioners to crucify him upside down, since he considered himself unworthy to die as his Lord had died. And so the great servant of the great Master reposed and received the crown of eternal glory.
2. THE HOLY APOSTLE PAUL
A native of Tarsus, of the tribe of Benjamin. He was first called Saul, studied under Gamaliel, was a Pharisee and a persecutor of Christianity. He was miraculously converted to the Christian faith by the Lord Himself, Who appeared to him on the road to Damascus. He was baptized by the Apostle Ananias, named Paul, and numbered among the great Apostles. With flaming zeal he preached the Gospel everywhere from the borders of Arabia to Spain, among Jews and among pagans. He received the title of Apostle to the Gentiles. As terrible as his sufferings were, so was his superhuman patience. Through all the years of his preaching he hung day by day as by a single frail thread between life and death. Having filled all his days and nights with labor and suffering for Christ, having organized the Church in numerous places, and having attained that measure of perfection that he could say: "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me," he was then beheaded in Rome in the time of Emperor Nero, at the same time as the Apostle Peter.
“As terrible as his sufferings were, so was his superhuman patience.”
Hymn of Praise
The unlearned and the learned, but equal in spirit,
And in the love of God strong as angels,
Peter the simple man, Paul the educated —
Both illumined by the grace of the Spirit.
Two flaming candles, candles unquenchable,
Two brilliant stars, lofty and beautiful.
They traversed the earth and brought the light,
They gave all to men, they took nothing.
Utter paupers — they enriched the world;
Prisoners and servants — they conquered the whole world.
They enriched the world with the teaching of Christ,
They conquered the whole world with new weapons:
With humility and peace and gentle meekness,
With prayer and fasting and mighty mercy.
When on their stormy day the stormy evening came,
The bloodthirsty Nero cut short their lives.
But when the ruler of the world issued his command
And delivered both Peter and Paul to suffering,
The world was theirs, and no longer his —
By death the Apostles won the kingdom.
“Utter paupers — they enriched the world; prisoners and servants — they conquered the whole world.”
Reflection
Simon Peter and Simon the Sorcerer. The enemies of Christianity often like to cite examples of great wonder-workers among the pagans, in order to deceive the gullible, to belittle the Christian faith, and to exalt paganism, sorcery, divination, Satanism, and every charlatanism. There is no doubt that Satan also attempts to work miracles through his servants, but all the miracles of his servants do not proceed from love of mankind, compassion, mercy, and faith in God, but from pride, selfishness, vanity, and hatred of mankind. A Christian must learn from apostolic history to distinguish divine miracles from Satanic delusions and fantasies. Let him only remember the Apostle Peter and Simon the Sorcerer. Let him compare the miracles of Peter with the supposed miracles of Simon. The Apostle converted the stony hearts of men into noble hearts, healed the sick, raised the dead — and all this by prayer and faith in the living God; Simon the Sorcerer, on the other hand, amazed people with diabolical illusions. The Apostle Peter was a friend of God, while Simon the Sorcerer was the friend and protege of the debauched Emperor Nero, who ended his life by suicide.
Contemplation
Contemplate the miraculous healing of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46), namely:
1. How Bartimaeus besought the Lord: Have mercy on me!
2. How the Lord said: Receive thy sight! And he received his sight,
3. How the word of the Lord can give sight to my blind soul also, if I pray.
Homily
On the Fear of God
Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear (I Peter 1:17)
These are the words of the great Apostle Peter, words that have a twofold confirmation: heavenly inspiration and personal experience. By heavenly inspiration the simple fisherman Peter became a teacher of the nations, a pillar of the faith, a mighty wonderworker. By personal experience he learned that all his wisdom and power were from God, and that therefore one must have within oneself the fear of God. No other fear but the fear of God.
The foolish man is afraid only when lightning flashes and thunder crashes, but the wise man fears God every day and every hour. The Creator of lightning and thunder is more terrible than both, and He does not appear before thee from time to time, like lightning and thunder, but is constantly before thee and does not withdraw from thee. Therefore it is not enough only from time to time to have the fear of God; rather, one must breathe the fear of God. The fear of God is ozone in the stifling atmosphere of our soul. That ozone brings purity, and lightness, and fragrant scent, and health. As long as he was not established in the fear of God, Peter was merely Peter and not an apostle, and a hero, and a teacher of nations, and a wonderworker.
O my brethren, let us not rejoice before the harvest. This life of ours is not a harvest but a sowing, and labor, and sweat, and fear. The farmer lives in fear until he gathers the fruits from his field. Let us too leave the rejoicing for the day of the harvest, and now is the time for labor and fear. Shall I be saved? That question should trouble each of us just as the question troubles the farmer: shall I reap the fruit of my labor on the field? Every day the farmer labors and fears. Let us also labor and fear all the time of our sojourning on earth.
O Lord, awesome and mighty, keep us in Thy fear. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.
“The fear of God is ozone in the stifling atmosphere of our soul. That ozone brings purity, and lightness, and fragrant scent, and health.”