In the sacred liturgy of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Church presents us with two readings of towering significance: Acts 12:1–11, which recounts St. Peter’s miraculous deliverance from prison, and Matthew 16:13–19, where Our Lord bestows upon Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Together, they form a vivid tapestry of apostolic authority, divine providence, and the indestructibility of the Church founded upon the Rock.
I. Chains Broken in the Night — The Martyrdom Delayed (Acts 12:1–11)
The account from Acts 12 is striking in its simplicity and supernatural intensity. Herod, a type of the world’s powers opposing Christ’s Church, lays violent hands on the faithful. James the Greater has already been martyred, and Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is next in line. But God’s plan prevails.
“Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison” (Acts 12:7).
St. John Chrysostom marvels at this passage, saying:
“Behold the angel, and consider the power of prayer. See how Peter sleeps, even bound in chains. He feared nothing, placed his trust entirely in Christ, and slept more securely than those outside his prison walls.”
(Hom. XXVI on Acts)
The calmness of Peter in the face of death echoes Our Lord sleeping in the boat amid the storm (cf. Mark 4:38). It is the tranquility of a soul rooted in Christ. The early Church, though persecuted, is not crushed. She is guarded by divine providence and sustained by the intercession of the faithful, for “prayer was made without ceasing by the Church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5).
St. Gregory the Great, in his Homilies on the Gospels, sees this deliverance as a figure of the Church’s continual liberation through grace:
“Peter is every Christian soul, bound by the chains of sin, sleeping amid the darkness of error. Yet the angel comes — the light of grace shines — and he is led forth into liberty.”
But note: this deliverance is temporary. Peter’s martyrdom will come, as the Lord prophesied (cf. John 21:18-19). This moment is a pause, a divine stay, to manifest the power of God and the centrality of Peter’s role.
II. Tu es Petrus — The Rock of Revelation (Matt 16:13–19)
The Gospel reading brings us to the heart of apostolic identity. Christ asks, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?”And Peter, moved not by flesh or blood, but by heavenly illumination, responds: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
St. Leo the Great sees this moment as a singular gift of divine light:
“It was not flesh and blood but the Father who revealed this, that in the Lord’s declaration, Peter might be exalted above all others, receiving not only a revelation but the power to confirm his brethren in the same faith.”
(Sermon 4 on the Anniversary of His Ordination)
Our Lord then pronounces the Petrine commission: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” The Latin liturgical texts emphasize the permanence and authority of this moment: “super hanc petram,” upon this rock — not an abstract confession alone, but upon Peter himself, the one who confesses rightly.
St. Augustine, though careful to highlight the primacy of Christ, does not deny Peter’s unique role:
“Peter, because he first confessed, was called ‘the rock’; and as he bore the figure of the Church, what was said to him was said to her: ‘To thee will I give the keys…’”
(Retractations, Book I, ch. 21)
And the keys signify more than stewardship — they mark authority. As Pope Benedict XVI once summarized the tradition: “The keys entrusted to Peter are not symbols of domination but of service, rooted in truth and love, to open the way to the Kingdom.”
III. Two Pillars, One Faith
Today, the Church venerates Peter and Paul as two pillars — diverse in mission, yet united in martyrdom, doctrine, and love for Christ. Peter, the foundational rock, and Paul, the tireless missionary to the Gentiles, are both buried in Rome, having shed their blood for the same Lord.
St. Ambrose aptly teaches:
“They are not two but one. Though separate in bodily death, they are one in the unity of faith, in the crown of righteousness, and in the love of Christ.”
(Exposition on Luke, Book 10)
Their feast falling near the height of summer reminds the faithful of the burning zeal that must characterize our Catholic life. In the octave that follows, the Church exhorts us to meditate on apostolic fidelity, to pray for the Holy Father — successor of Peter — and to ask for the grace to be firm in faith and quick in charity.
Commemoration of the III Sunday After Pentecost
Providentially, the Sunday commemoration gives us the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1–10), a fitting complement to the feast. It reminds us that the mission of Peter and Paul was not for themselves, but for the flock. The Shepherd seeks the lost; Peter is charged to feed the sheep (John 21:17), and Paul labors that Christ be formed in the hearts of the Gentiles (Gal 4:19).
This Sunday speaks to the pastoral heart of these Apostles. They were not only teachers of doctrine, but true shepherds, laying down their lives.
Prayer
O glorious Apostles Peter and Paul, steadfast confessors of the Lord and pillars of the Holy Church, intercede for us, that we may be faithful to the true faith, fearless in persecution, and fruitful in charity. Confirm us in our vocation and deliver us from every chain that binds our hearts to sin. Through your prayers, may we one day enter that city not made with hands, where Christ reigns forever. Amen.