Orthodox icon | The Apostles Peter and Paul | 24895

Saint Apostle Peter, originally called “Simon”, was born in the small town of Bethsaida on the north bank of the Sea of Galilee, as the son of Jonah from the tribe of Naftali. He had married and lived in Kaphernaum, where he and his brother Andrew, the disciple of St. John the Forerunner, practiced the humble profession of fisherman. Jesus said to Simon: You are Simon, son of Jonah, you will be called Cephas (Jn 1,42-43), which translated means “rock” (Greek petra, derived from Petros). With this change of name, his whole life changed. From then on, he followed Jesus wherever He went, walking with him through Galilee, where the Lord proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God, and healed all diseases and all ills in the people. But he has not yet given up his fishing profession entirely. After Jesus had taught in the synagogue of Caphernaum, Peter invited him to his house, where his mother-in-law was lying down with a fever. Jesus healed them. At his own request, Peter was nailed to the cross in Nero’s circus – on the spot where St. to die the same death as Jesus Christ. He is considered the patron of those who repent and confess; bridge builders, butchers, glaziers, joiners, locksmiths, blacksmiths, ironmongers, lead foundries, watchmakers, paper dealers, potters, bricklayers, fishermen, fishmongers, boatmen and castaways; of virgins; against obsession, epilepsy, rabies, fever, snakebite, foot problems and theft; of the weather.

Saint Apostle Paul was born around 10 AD in Tarsos in Cilicia, in one of those communities of the Jewish Diaspora who were passionate about the traditions of their fathers. He belonged to the tribe of Benjamin and was named “Saul”. Through his father he had Roman civil rights and therefore enjoyed a privileged position. Raised in cosmopolitan Tarsus in close contact with Hellenistic culture, his parents sent him to Jerusalem to study the law, where he joined the sect of the Pharisees and followed the teachings of the famous Rabbi Gamaliel the Elder. He shared his fathers’ hatred of Christians, whom he viewed as dangerous violators of the law. Later he went to Damascus to seize the Christians there too and drag them in chains to Jerusalem. But as he approached the city, suddenly a bright light shone around him from the sky, so that he fell to the ground. He heard a voice that said to him: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? – Who are you? he asked, and the voice answered him: I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting (Acts 9: 4-5). The Lord told him to go to Damascus, and Saul got up, but he saw nothing, for his eyes were as if burned by the overly bright heavenly light that he had seen alone. His companions had to lead him into town by the hand. He stayed three days without eating or drinking until a disciple named Ananias (1.10.) Came to him on the direction of an angel and laid his hands on him in the name of Jesus, so that scales fell from his eyes (Acts 9 , 18) and he could en again. Then he baptized him. From then on Paul was a different person and, filled with the Holy Spirit, began to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God in the synagogues, to the great astonishment of the Jews, whom he was known to be a relentless enemy of the Christians. He is considered the patron saint of theologians and pastors, weavers, carpet weavers, tent weavers, basket makers, rope makers, saddlers, and workers; the Catholic press; for rain and fertility of the fields; against fear and anxiety, ear problems, cramps, snakebite, lightning and hail.

June 29 is the memory of the holy, glorious, and all-vaunted apostles and luminaries Peter and Paul. Peter holds a scroll of text: “You are Peter…”. Christ blessing above.