Today we celebrate one of the feats days connected with St Peter. Peter was one of the most important of Jesus' twelve apostles. Peter is known as Simon Peter, the son of Jona (or John) and was the brother of Andrew.
The name Peter comes from the Aramaic term for "rock" while the name Simon comes from the Greek for "hearing." Peter's name appears on all of the lists of apostles and his being called by Jesus appears in all three synoptic gospels as well as in the Acts of the Apostles. These texts are the only accounts of his life from this time period and are thus the most reliable source of information about him.
Most of Jesus' twelve apostles remain largely silent through the gospels; Peter, however, is often depicted speaking. He was the first to confess that Jesus is the Messiah; he was also the only one depicted actively denying Jesus later on. In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter is depicted as travelling widely to preach about Jesus.
The years of Peter's birth and death are unknown. Christian tradition has it that Peter died in Rome during the persecution of Christians around between 64 and 67 under Emperor Nero.
A fair amount of the story of St Peter we heard last week as we celebrated the feast of St James. Peter was a native of Bethsaida, near Lake Tiberias. He was the son of John, and worked, like his brother Andrew, as a fisherman. Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus, and Christ called Peter to become a disciple. In Luke we find recounted the story, which we heard as the Gospel a few weeks ago, that Peter caught such a large catch of fish that he fell down before the feet of Jesus and was told by the Lord, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men”.
Jesus also gave Simon a new name: Cephas, or the rock. Becoming a disciple of Jesus, Peter acknowledged him as "... the Messiah, the son of the living God”. Christ responded by saying: "... you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.... He added: “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”.
Peter is always listed as the first of the Apostles in all of the New Testament accounts and was a member of the inner circle of Jesus, with James and John. He is mentioned in Scripture more than any other disciple. He was at Jesus’ side at the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He helped organize the Last Supper and played a major role in the events of the Passion. When Jesus was arrested, Peter cut off the right ear of a slave of the high priest Malchus. He then went on to deny Christ three times as the Lord had predicted. Peter left the courtyard and “went out and began to weep bitterly”.
After the Resurrection, Peter went to the tomb with John, the “other disciple”, after being told of the event by the women. Of the disciples the first appearance of the Risen Christ was to Peter and when the Lord appeared to the disciples at Tiberias, he gave to Peter the famous three-fold command to “Feed my lambs.... Tend my sheep.... Feed my sheep”. This has often been seen as the corrective to his three fold denial of the Lord.
In the time immediately after the Ascension, Peter stood as the unquestionable head of the Apostles, a position which is made evident in the Acts. He appointed the replacement of Judas Iscariot; he spoke first to the crowds that had assembled after the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; he was the first Apostle to perform miracles in the name of the Lord; and he rendered judgment upon the deceitful Ananias and Sapphira.
Peter was instrumental in bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. He baptized the Roman pagan Cornelius, and at the Council of Jerusalem he gave his support to preaching to Gentiles, thereby permitting the new Church to become universal. Peter was imprisoned by King Herod Agrippa, but he was aided in an escape by an angel. According to the Acts of the Apostles, in chapter 12 verse 6, an angel caused the chains to fall from Peter's hands and led him past slumbering guards to freedom. This is the first of two events which we remember today in this feast of St Peter’s Chains.
After escaping Peter resumed his apostolate in Jerusalem and his missionary efforts included travels to such cities of the pagan world as Antioch, Corinth, and eventually Rome. It is certain that Peter died in Rome and that his martyrdom came during the reign of Emperor Nero, probably between 64 and 67. Testimony of his martyrdom is extensive, including Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Clement I of Rome, St. Ignatius, and St. Irenaeus. According to this rich tradition, Peter was arrested, bound in chains, and eventually crucified on the Vatican Hill upside down because he declared himself unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord. He was then buried on Vatican Hill.
Excavations under St. Peter’s Basilica have unearthed his probable tomb, and his relics are now enshrined under the high altar of St. Peter’s. These relics were declared on the 26th June, 1968 by Pope Paul VI to be the remains of Peter.
The story that is told about today’s feast is that the pious Eudocia, wife of Emperor Teodosio II, journeyed to Jerusalem and found the chain that had bound Peter during his imprisonment. The chain was eventually given, by the Empress, as a gift to Pope St. Leo the Great in the early 440’s. In Rome there was already a chain that was greatly prized which had bound the saint during his nine month imprisonment in the Mamertine Prison near the Forum, just prior to his martyrdom. When the pope compared the two chains, they miraculously fused together into one unbreakable series of links. Because of this miracle, Empress Eudocia built the Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains, and dedicated it to the apostle in the year 442. The relic, a picture of which is on your pew leaflet, is now kept in a golden urn beneath the high altar, close to the famous statue of Michelangelo's Moses.
The feast of St Peter’s Chains disappeared from the Calendar of the Church with the revisions of Vatican11. Because of its obvious link with the suffering of St Peter for the faith, it was a feast on which people who were in situations of persecution found comfort. I can remember as a teenager having as a curate in our parish a priest who was banned by the government of the day. St Peter’s Chains was his favourite feast.
May God bless us in our following of Jesus, and may we be steadfast in the faith.
