"Upon this rock I will build my Church"

This coming Sunday the Church has a special feast that falls on a Sunday only once every few years: the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. A solemnity is a special designation in the Church for specific feasts that are held in the highest regard. Most of the time weekday Masses are simpler and short than Sundays, but when there is a solemnity the Church invites us to celebrate the feast as if it were a Sunday. All Holy Days of Obligation are solemnities, but not all solemnities are Holy Days of Obligation. This one is not a Holy Day of Obligation when it falls on a weekday, but it is of such importance that it over takes the normal Sunday observance, which would be the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time this week.

The reason that it is such an important celebration is because of the two men that it celebrates! Peter and Paul are so important to the beginnings of the Church and their lasting impact is still felt to this very day. St. Peter was leader of the Apostles and the first Bishop of Rome, or pope, and so the Church sees him as the "rock" as Jesus says in the Gospel reading: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church." St. Paul is known as the Apostle to the Gentiles, and likely most of us are Christians today because of his missionary work and his efforts to open up the Church to non-Jewish believers who were hesitant to be circumcised and, therefore, to become Jewish first before becoming a Christian.

By the efforts of these two men and their cooperation with the Holy Spirit, the Church grew and prospered in its earliest days and the Gospel was proclaimed across the Mediterranean world. And through the communities they founded, the people they inspired, and the men they ordained to continue their work, the Church has remained "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" to this very day.

So, as we approach this holy feast in honor of these incredible witnesses to the faith who gave their lives for Christ, let us pray for Pope Leo as he continues the work of St. Peter in his role as Bishop of Rome. Let us also pray that the example of Peter and Paul and the grace of the Holy Spirit may move the hearts of young men and women to answer the call of service to the Church through the priesthood and religious life. And let us pray for ourselves, that we may take up our place in the story of the Church and be missionary disciples to a world that is desperate to hear the Good News of Jesus!

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Mass this weekend? Click here to find the readings this Sunday's Mass.