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Written by Archbishop Raymond L. Burke from the Archdiocese of St. Louis
Introduction
On this coming Sunday, June 29th, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles. The annual celebration of Saints Peter and Paul gives us the occasion to reflect upon the apostolic origins and nature of our Catholic faith and to recommit ourselves to the bringing of the faith to all the nations.
Both Saint Peter and Saint Paul have individual feast days, for example, the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter on February 22nd and the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul on January 25th. The feast of both Apostles, which we will celebrate on Sunday, emphasizes the unity of their apostolic ministry in our Lord Jesus Christ, Who called Saint Peter to be the Head of the College of Apostles and Saint Paul to be the Apostle of the Nations. Saint Paul carried out his apostolic mission in communion with Saint Peter. Both Apostles were arrested and executed in Rome, Saint Peter in the year 64 by crucifixion, and Saint Paul in the Year 67 by beheading. The Patriarchal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican is built over the tomb of Saint Peter. The Patriarchal Basilica of Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls is built over the tomb of Saint Paul. To be precise, the altar of sacrifice in both basilicas is built directly above the tomb of the respective Apostle.
The grace given to Saint Peter continues to be given to the Bishop who succeeds Saint Peter in his office of Pope or Bishop of the Universal Church. The grace given to Saint Paul continues to be given to the Bishops and priests who succeed him in preaching the Gospel, celebrating the Sacraments and establishing the Church in every part of the world.
Pope Benedict XVI, Successor of Saint Peter
Recently, we have had the occasion to experience very directly the apostolic ministry of the Successor of Saint Peter, Pope Benedict XVI. The Apostolic Journey of the Roman Pontiff to our nation and the United Nations was an extraordinary gift to the Church in the United States of America. By his Apostolic Journey, our Holy Father underlined for us our communion with the Church throughout the world. His teaching, his celebration of the Sacraments, and his meeting and speaking with a rich variety of the faithful manifested directly the source of our communion, our Lord Jesus Christ Who teaches, sanctifies and governs us in the Church through the Apostles and their successors, under the headship and in communion with Saint Peter and his successor. In a special way, he taught us about the theological virtue of hope, which is the source of the direction and energy for our daily living, for our earthly pilgrimage home to God the Father.
On Sunday, we will pray, in a special way, for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, Successor of Saint Peter. We will also express our communion with him through the Peter’s Pence Collection by which all Catholics throughout the world support the Holy Father’s charitable works on behalf of those in most need.
If you are not already doing so, I urge you to include prayer for our Holy Father and his intentions in your daily prayers. A good way to do so is to begin each day with the Morning Offering of the Apostleship of Prayer.
Year of Saint Paul
On June 28th, we begin the Jubilee Year of Saint Paul, convoked by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the bimillennium of Saint Paul’s birth. We will conclude the special Jubilee Year in honor of Saint Paul on June 29, 2009. In announcing the Year of Saint Paul, Pope Benedict XVI, urged us to know more fully the teaching of Saint Paul, which is truly the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. Various special celebrations will take place at the Basilica of Saint Paul-outside-the-Walls to promote knowledge of the Apostle of the Nations. Local celebrations will be joined to the celebrations in Rome for the same purpose.
For your own observance of the Year of Saint Paul, I commend the book, Praying with Saint Paul: Daily Reflections on the Letters of the Apostle Paul, edited by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P., and published by Magnificat (86 Main Street, Suite 303, Yonkers, NY 10701; Tel. 914-502-1846; E-mail: Paul.Snatchko@magnificat.com).
A distinct reflection on the writings of Saint Paul is proposed for each day of the year by a wide variety of spiritual writers.
There is also an official website for the Year of Saint Paul: www.annopaolino.org.
Our Holy Father has granted special Indulgences for the observance of the Year of Saint Paul. The Indulgences are directed to the deepening of the spiritual life in all of us and to the good works which are the fruit of a deeper spiritual life. The grant of Indulgences is most generous; the Plenary Indulgence can be obtained by those who visit the tomb of the Apostle Paul on pilgrimage to Rome; by those who, in their home diocese, take part in a special liturgical or devotional action to honor Saint Paul; and by those who are impeded from taking part in any public action of prayer but join themselves spiritually to the activity of the whole Church to honor Saint Paul.
It is my hope that the observance of the Year of Saint Paul will bring to all of us a deeper knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his announcement of the Year of Saint Paul, on June 28th of last year, Pope Benedict XVI has reminded us of importance of the teaching and the life of the Apostle of the Nations for each of us. Reflecting upon Saint Paul’s teaching that nothing will be able to separate us from "love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord," the Holy Father declared to us:
The Church’s action is credible and effective only to the extent to which those who belong to her are prepared to pay in person for their fidelity to Christ in every circumstance. When this readiness is lacking, the crucial argument of truth on which the Church herself depends is also absent (Pope Benedict XVI, "Pope announces upcoming ‘Pauline Year’," L’Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, 4 July 2008, p. 2).
Finally, Pope Benedict XVI has asked us to give special attention to the Church’s ecumenical commitment during the Pauline Year. He reminded us: "The Apostle to the Gentiles, who was especially committed to taking the Good News to all peoples, left no stones unturned for unity and harmony among all Christians" (Ibid.). Once again, a good way in which to pray daily for Christian unity is the Morning Offering of the Apostleship of Prayer.
Conclusion: A Personal Note
The Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul has a special significance for me. It is the day on which I was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Paul VI in 1975. As I celebrate the 33rd anniversary of my priesthood ordination, I humbly thank God for the call to the ordained priesthood and for the many gifts of His grace, given to me over the past thirty-three years for the fulfillment of Christ’s priestly mission in the Church. Please pray for me, that I may be ever more faithful and generous in responding to the vocation and mission which our Lord Jesus Christ confided to me on June 29, 1975, the day of my ordination to the Sacred Priesthood.
May God grant to Pope Benedict XVI, the Successor of Saint Peter, an abundance of the blessings of good health and pastoral charity for his service to the universal Church.
May the Year of Saint Paul deepen in the whole Church and in each of her members an obedient response to the missionary mandate of our Lord Jesus Christ: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mk 16:15).
Printed with permission from the St. Louis Review. The original article was published on June 27, 2008.
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