Jesus said: “Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
I have often thought, if Saint Peter the Apostle can deny Jesus and he can forgive him and then give to him the keys of the kingdom, who am I that I cannot forgive my brothers and sisters, and this includes myself.
Today is one of a few feast days of Saint Peter. Today is the feast of the dedication of the Basilicas of Peter and Paul. There are two books in the Bible attributed to him.
By profession, Peter was a fisherman and his brother was Saint Andrew the Apostle. It was Andrew who led Peter to Christ. Jesus renamed him Peter, from Simon, which means "rock" which indicates that Peter would be the rock-like foundation on which the Church would be built. Peter was a miracle worker and he is the first pope. He was martyred in Rome around the year 64. He was crucified with his head downwards because he said he was not worthy to die in the same manner as Christ.
He is the patron of many things, cities, and dioceses. A few include:
- bakers
- fishermen
- the papacy
- the Universal Church
- the Diocese of Las Vegas, NV
- the cities of Leuven, Belgium
- London, England
Prayer to Saint Peter
O Glorious Saint Peter, because of your vibrant and generous faith, sincere humility and flaming love, our Lord honored you with singular privileges and especially leadership of the whole Church. Obtain for us the grace of a living faith, a sincere loyalty to the Church, acceptance of all her teaching, and obedience to all her precepts. Let us thus enjoy an undisturbed peace on earth and everlasting happiness in heaven.
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