Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” May-June 2025
Saints Peter and Paul, apostles (feast)
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FIRST READING
From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 12:1-11)
At that time King Herod began to persecute some members of the Church. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword. Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. It was during the days of Unleavened Bread. He had him seized and thrown into prison, entrusting him to the custody of four squads of four soldiers each, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. While Peter was thus kept in prison, the Church prayed fervently to God for him. On the night before Herod was to bring him before the people, Peter, guarded by two soldiers and bound with two chains, was sleeping, while sentries before the doors kept watch over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side, awakened him, and said, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell from his hands. The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and fasten your sandals.” He did so. Then the angel said, “Put on your cloak and follow me!” Peter went out and followed him, but he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision instead. They passed the first guard and then the second and came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself. They went out, walked along a street, and suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the first reading
In the Church there are various ways of evangelizing and carrying out its mission. The young James, son of Zebedee, who had been among the first to follow Jesus in Galilee, leaving his boat and nets behind, was arrested and killed for no reason by King Herod. Peter is probably about to suffer the same fate, but in this case Heaven bends over him and an angel brings him out of prison: he must not remain imprisoned, because he is needed in the Church. Did James suffer a “worse” fate than Peter? Not at all, but martyrdom and ordinary governance are two different ways that pursue the same end: giving glory to God and serving him in the Church. Peter too will die a martyr, but for now he has other tasks to carry out, so he must be set free. Let us allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit. Providence may ask some of us to become popes or bishops, others to be sanctified in marriage or in the workplace, and still others to persevere patiently through trial or illness. Everything has the same great value; we simply need to do what the Spirit asks and do it with enthusiasm and love.
SECOND READING
From the second letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to Timothy (2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18)
My son, I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time has come for me to depart this life. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now all that remains for me is the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation of the Gospel might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil and bring me safely to heaven, into his kingdom; to him be glory forever and ever. Amen. - The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
Paul knows that he is about to be martyred. This is not simply an elderly man knowing that he will have to die someday, but someone who is about to be beheaded. The time for taking stock therefore comes in the face of imminent death, seen not as an end but as fulfillment. As Saint Paul is about to face a bloody martyrdom, he says that the Lord will give him a crown in return! It almost seems that there is a subtle irony in this sentence, but what matters is that the apostle prepares to meet the Lord at last and forever. He urges everyone to remain faithful, because he has seen that his life as an apostle, although full of dangers, has been a good one, and that the various “lions” that had continually threatened his work ultimately did not prevail. Everything in Paul is thanksgiving, and even in his farewell words to Timothy he does not miss an opportunity to give thanks once again. Greeting his faithful disciple, he writes: «The Lord will bring me safely to heaven»; he is certain of this because he knows the power of the grace of the Lord Jesus, whom he loved deeply with his whole being.
GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 16:13-19)
At that time, when Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them: “But you, who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him: “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” – The Gospel of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel
That Jesus should make each person’s eternal salvation depend on a man is truly incredible. “Giving the keys” means that this person will decide whom to let in and whom to keep out. We know that the only Lord and judge of the living and the dead is our Lord Jesus Christ, so what does Peter have to do with it? The Lord entrusts the keys to Peter because he wanted to leave his Church in the world, so that all people on earth might make their journey of faith. It is the Church that guarantees the sacraments; it is the Church that brings the Body and Blood of Christ; it is the Church that dispenses forgiveness of sins… From generation to generation, the Church is in the world to make the Lord Jesus present, and he is always with us. Certainly, the “sign” of the Church is visible, but the Lord wanted it precisely this way: for the Church to be not only a spiritual reality but also a visible one. The popes, bishops, priests, structures, and so on will not always be agreeable or maximally effective, but we must pass through this great sacrament, which is the Church, to enter the kingdom of heaven. Certainly, the Lord has many means of saving souls, but that does not change the fact that the keys are in Peter’s hands.
