July 12/June 29 – Holy Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul.translated

The apostles Peter and Paul were people of different characters, and their earthly destinies, which ended in martyrdom, were also different. Simon, later nicknamed Cephas (rock, stone), like his brother Andrei, came from a simple, God-fearing family of fishermen. It was Peter and Andrew who were the first to be called by the Lord to apostolic service. The strong impression the Savior made on the brothers during their first meeting required some kind of rethinking; it required not a hasty and ardent youthful reaction, but a firm and meaningful following of Christ. Therefore, only some time after the calling of Andrei and Peter, the Lord comes to their house and takes them with him. Soon Peter, along with James and John, becomes one of the Savior’s closest disciples. It is these three who accompany the Lord in the most mysterious moments of His earthly life: on Tabor and in Gethsemane.

Although among the disciples of Jesus it was impossible to find people who were lukewarm and not zealous, Peter, perhaps, surpassed everyone in his ardor, which often led to subsequent embarrassment or even a fall, revealing the weakness of human nature. It is Peter, the only one of all the disciples, who throws himself into the sea to meet the Savior...