Sts Peter and Paul

[5Loaves]

I was at Great Vespers tonight at the Orthodox parish I go to when my parish is not able to have services due to our tiny size and being commuters. I encourage folks who aren’t able to go to read through the beautiful hymns. (Scroll down to June 29 Holy Glorious Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul). There were so many parts I was so taken with. Here are two small sections:

With what spiritual songs shall we praise Peter and Paul?
They have silenced the sharp tongues of the godless.
They are awesome swords of the Spirit.
They are the adornment of Rome;
they have nourished the whole world with the Word of God.
They are the living tablets of the New Testament written by the hand of
God.
Christ, Who has great and rich mercy, has exalted them in Zion.

Let us praise Peter and Paul, the two great stars of the Church.
They shine brighter than the sun in the sky of faith.
Let the nations follow the rays of their preaching,
and be led from ignorance to the knowledge of God!

Father spoke about how we may wonder what was it like to hear the apostles preach, and here tonight we hear their voices.

At the close of the liturgy their Hierodeacon, someone I’d not seen serve before, spoke. He talked about how we see Sts Peter and Paul together embracing in their holy icon. But in life they had significant disagreements, weren’t on great terms with each other. Yet in Christ they are joined. He mused that we hope and pray for such unity in our Church one day. I’m suspect from past experience of the people who were there tonight that I was the only Catholic, not Orthodox, present. It was a very heart felt message and for me certainly a very poignant one.

(Father also mentioned that “in the Western Church” they have a separate feast day for the Conversion of Saint Paul in January and he thought the Orthodox should celebrate it, too. )

 

[dcointin]

One thing I like in Orthodox iconography is that St. Peter and St. Paul are usually depicted together in a brotherly embrace to emphasize that they were in love and communion with each other. There was an early heretic called Marcion who believed in a radical separation between the Old and New Testaments, and between Peter and Paul. He believe that Peter represented the “judiazing” of Christianity, while Paul represented the true gospel. He apparently appealed to the dispute between them that Paul mentions as evidence. The Church condemned his ideas and emphasized the unity between both apostles, and I suspect because of that reason preferred to depict them together. These icons are a reminder that even when there is tension between Christians, it is superceded by our unity in Christ Jesus. This is a very important reminder for us here on these forums who are dialoguing, particularly Catholics and Orthodox who are working to understand each other and come to a common agreement once again.

 

[WetCatechumen]

I was at Great Vespers tonight at the Orthodox parish I go to when my parish is not able to have services due to our tiny size and being commuters. I encourage folks who aren’t able to go to read through the beautiful hymns. (Scroll down to June 29 Holy Glorious Leaders of the Apostles, Peter and Paul). There were so many parts I was so taken with. Here are two small sections:

Father spoke about how we may wonder what was it like to hear the apostles preach, and here tonight we hear their voices.

At the close of the liturgy their Hierodeacon, someone I’d not seen serve before, spoke. He talked about how we see Sts Peter and Paul together embracing in their holy icon. But in life they had significant disagreements, weren’t on great terms with each other. Yet in Christ they are joined. He mused that we hope and pray for such unity in our Church one day. I’m suspect from past experience of the people who were there tonight that I was the only Catholic, not Orthodox, present. It was a very heart felt message and for me certainly a very poignant one.

(Father also mentioned that “in the Western Church” they have a separate feast day for the Conversion of Saint Paul in January and he thought the Orthodox should celebrate it, too. )

I found the Orthodox I’ve met in real life to be much kinder to the Catholic Church and much less polemical than those I’ve met on the internet. I’m glad you had such a favorable experience with this parish. It sounds lovely.

 

[5Loaves]

I found the Orthodox I’ve met in real life to be much kinder to the Catholic Church and much less polemical than those I’ve met on the internet. I’m glad you had such a favorable experience with this parish. It sounds lovely.

The parish has been an invaluable resource for me. I’m extremely grateful to them. Other members of my Byz Catholic parish tend to go to other Orthodox parishes closer to their homes for Vespers. My experience with Orthodox across the board has been very positive. There are of course jerks out there in every community.

 

[Wesley7]

Sts. Peter and Paul pray for us Christians. Amen