Entrance Hymn: Sweet Sacrament Divine

Saints Peter and Paul (Simon and Saul)

Simon was born in Bethsaida, near the Sea of Galilee. He was a fisherman by trade, along with his brother Andrew. When Jesus met Simon, He said, “‘You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas (which is translated Peter)” John 1:42.  Matthew’s Gospel relates that Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter when He said to him, “I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to 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” Matthew 16:18f.  With his new name and unique spiritual authority in which he held the “keys to the kingdom of heaven,” Peter emerged as the central leader of the Church after Pentecost. He spent about a decade in Jerusalem, preaching powerfully, performing miracles, and converting many. He eventually travelled to Rome where he established the Church there, becoming its first bishop. Around the year 64, he was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Nero. His tomb is located under the main altar of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

Saul was born as a Roman citizen in Tarsus, modern-day Turkey. After Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, Saul became one of the fiercest persecutors of the early Church, being partly responsible for the death of the proto-martyr Saint Stephen Acts 7:58. However, within a few years, as Saul was traveling to Damascus to persecute other Christians, he was knocked to the ground and struck blind. He heard Jesus say to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” Jesus then directed him to a disciple of the Lord in Damascus named Ananias who baptized Saul. Saul spent about three years in Arabia where he went through an intense time of prayer and study, eventually returning to Damascus. In Jerusalem, Saul began to use his Roman name, Paul, and then spent approximately the next ten years as a missionary throughout the Mediterranean. Back in Jerusalem, he was imprisoned for a couple of years and then was sent to Rome for trial since he was a Roman citizen.

         Saints Peter and Paul are considered the foundational pillars of the Church. Peter represents the stability of the Church and the office of the Vicar of Christ. Paul represents the mission of evangelization that was entrusted to the Church by Jesus Himself.

Second Collection this weekend will be the Peter’s Pence collection. Peter’s Pence is a collection taken up annually by the Catholic Church to support the Holy Father’s charitable and apostolic works.

Trocaire

The Trocaire boxes presented in Christ the King Church netted a total of €2,107.00. Thanks to all who contributed. A special word of thanks to Sacristan, Jack Kiely, who looked after the whole process, from distributing the boxes to counting and banking the money.

Fr Paul Kangkai, from Nigeria, will come to our parish again this year. He will arrive on 16^th August.

Sweet heart of Jesus
We implore
O make us love thee
More and more