Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 Since today is the external slam it or the faced the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul will consider the story of their mater domes. So we'll start by briefly acquainting ourselves with a few points about the life of Saint Peter. Saint Peter is the brother of Saint Andrew. The apostle is a fisherman from best Sida. It's a town on the banks of Lake Tiberias. It's also the hometown of Saint Phillip, the apostle saints. Peter and Andrew moved from Beth's side of cafe Barnum to fish. One day Saint Andrew heard a fiery preacher by the name of Saint John the Baptist point out Christ our lord as being the true lamb of God, and that inspired Saint Andrew to spend the next day with our Lord. After just spending a short time in our Lord's company, Saint Andrew was totally convinced that the Lord was the redeemer and say went to fetch his brother, Saint Peter and tell him that he'd found the Messiah Simon, which is Saint Peter's real name.
Speaker 0 01:00 Before our Lord changed it, immediately believed his brother Saint Andrew and went to meet and follow our Lord Our Lord towards Simon and St. Ended to follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. Immediately they left their nets and followed him and as we heard in today's Gospel, subsequently our Lord made St Peter the first pope, the foundation of his church, the Rock, which is what his name means. We all know about how he walked on the water, how he'd denied our Lord three times and so forth. We all know the stories about Saint Peter from scripture, but besides all that, how many of us know anything more about him? After Pentecost, Peter went to Antioch, which is now an extreme south of Turkey, about 12 miles from the Syrian border and established the church there, rule the church there from the year 33 to the year 40 during this time, he traveled frequently to carry the faith into other lands as tradition has it and as he himself confirmed in his first epistle, St Peter also preached all over the parts of the Roman Empire, which we now know as Turkey.
Speaker 0 02:07 For example, he tells us he preached in POTUS. That's part of northeast Turkey by the Black Sea. He priest and glacier. That's in central Turkey. That's where I'm Kerry is. He preached in Bethenny, that's northwest Turkey. That's where the nicey is, where some 300 years later he had the first concert in three 25 which is where we get the nice scene creed that will sing shortly. He preached and Kappa Docia, that's a region in central Turkey below Galatians POTUS and he preached in the Roman province of Asia in that southwest Turkey before he turned on and went to Rome. We know that he lived an incredibly mortified life. Saint Gregory Nas the ads and reports that although St Peter would eat, whatever was placed in front of him in general, his total diet consisted only of a small amount of bitter herbs and that was it. St Peter finally arrived in Rome around the year 40 was there off and on for next quarter century and 51 a d he returned to Jerusalem for the council of the apostles in which he decided that the gentile converts didn't have to observe all the Jewish rules and ceremonial regulations.
Speaker 0 03:14 There's one interesting interaction that takes place between Saint Peter and Paul after this that we read about in scripture on his way back to Rome, St Peter Stop and Antioch Again, and when he was having a meal with some gentile Catholics, some Jewish Catholics came in. At which point St Peter started acting like a Jew again and excused himself from eating what the gentile Catholics. Naturally enough, this didn't sit very well to gentile Catholics who felt slighted and it definitely didn't sit well at all with St Paul who publicly rebuked Saint Peter as Saint Paul says, quote. But when CFUs see Fusser, CAFA is the Aramaic word for rock or Peter. But when CPS came to Antioch, I oppose him to his face because he stood condemned. Close quote. Why did St Paul publicly rebuke his superior Saint Peter? Because Saint Peter's behavior might lead people to believe that the gentile Catholics were an inferior position to the Jewish Catholics.
Speaker 0 04:15 Now it's important to realize that St Peter's behavior doesn't impact and infallibility at all doesn't have anything to do with it. He wasn't making any errors in teaching the faith. He was making air in the way he's behaving. So it isn't a question of infallibility, but it's a question of prudence. St Augustine comments on this occasion, he points out that both Apostle Saint Peter and Saint Paul give great examples of virtue that we should study. On the one hand, St Paul's charitable but fearless public rebuke of his superior is an example of selfless charity that's on the one hand. On the other hand, Saint Augustan says, quote Saint Peter Sets as an example of a more wonderful and difficult virtue for it is a much easier task for one to see what to represent in another and to put him in mind of a fault. Then for us to publicly acknowledge our own faults and to correct them, how heroic virtue is it to be willing to be rebuked by another by an inferior and in the sight of all the world.
Speaker 0 05:23 This example of Saint Peter is the most perfect pattern of virtue he could have set us because it by it. He teaches us to preserve charity by humility. Close quote, Saint Augustine, Pope Saint Gregory, the great also comments on this event, seeing that Saint Peter Quote for God, his own dignity for fear of losing any degree of humility, he afterwards commended the epistles of Saint Paul as full of wisdom, though we reading them this story, which seems derogatory to St Peter's honor, but Saint, that lover of truth rejoiced that everyone should know that he had been reproved and should believe that the reproof was just closed. Quote Pope Saint Gregory the great. So there's just a few details about St Peter. Now in order to express, to understand the drama of his martyrdom, we need to briefly consider two other characters. We'll start with the first Simon Magos. Now who's Simon Magase? In chapter eight, the acts, the apostles, Saint Luke tells us about him.
Speaker 0 06:25 This will be cut and pasted for the sake of time. Quote Phillip went down to a city of Sumeria and proclaimed to them the Christ and unclean spirits came out of many who are possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. But there was a man named Simon who had previously plaque this magic in the city and amaze the nation of Sumeria. Seeing that he himself was somebody's great. They all gave heed to him from the least to the greatest saying, this man is that power of God, which is called great, and they gave he to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic, but when they believe Philip, they were baptized. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized, he continued with Philip and seeing signs of great miracles performed. He was amazed.
Speaker 0 07:16 Then Peter and John laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. No one Simon saw that the spirit was given to the laying on of the apostle's hands. He offered them money saying, give me also this power that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him, your silver perish with you because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money. You have neither partner a lot in this matter for your heart is not right before God. Repent. Therefore of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you were in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity in Simon answered, pray for me to Lord that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.
Speaker 0 07:59 Close quote, inspired in your word of God. So sign magase is a magician from Symeria and everyone knows the last character who happened to be ruling enrollment this time. That's Niro. Now Niro is one of the all time incredible monsters of history. He gives us some idea of what the antichrist will be like. A thumbnail sketch here will give everyone some idea of the kind of man we're talking about. Nero was the son of his mom's first husband. Her second husband died under mysterious circumstances just after he'd made out his will tour. Then in the year 48 she married her uncle, the emperor Claudius, her third husband who already had a son of his own. She manipulated her uncle, her husband Claudius, to adopt Niro as his own and married Niro to Claudius. His daughter. Then it seems that Nero's mom fed her husband Nice Dis of mushrooms.
Speaker 0 08:52 He lingered a while, so he had to be poisoned time. This time he died as soon as the death of the emperor Claudius was publicly known. On October 13th 54 a de Niro appeared in public and was it claimed as a new emperor at the ripe old age of 17 at first, the famous stoic philosopher, Seneca, who had been Nero's tutor continued to advise and guide neural, but as things got worse and worse, Seneca finally retired from public life. Speaking of Seneca paranthetically, the great fathers and doctors of the church, St Jerome and Saint Augustan both tell us that Santa can, Saint Paul carried on at lengthy correspondence, but unfortunately all those letters had been lost back to Nero to make a long and unbelievably disgusting story short, most of which we can't speak of from the pulpit or really anywhere. It's not safe. You're thankful it's written in Latin when you're reading it at a pleasant dinner with family and friends.
Speaker 0 09:49 Neuro poisoned his stepbrother. He had his wife smothered in a steam bath and married another woman. Later he kicked her to death while she was pregnant and found another wife. He was also involved in a number of so called marriages that have the type that have recently grown popular in places like Massachusetts and California. And sometimes he was one and sometimes he was the other. As far as I know, that's the only time in history till now where these were publicly recognized as state marriages. Something to think about. Anyway, as time grew on, he grew tired of Gerald mom, so he gave her poison three times, but none of it took. Then he had the ceiling of her bedroom rig so it would cave in and crusher. That didn't work. So he invited his mom, do a big banquet he was going to have and he had it brought in a special ship that at a certain time it would sink, you know, on his command while she swam to shore and that, so that didn't work either.
Speaker 0 10:43 So finally just sent one of his men to beat her to death with a club. All this by the age of 21. Then after his mom died, he took a turn for the worst. I'm being serious. Okay. Anyway, in 64 a d according to the testimony that peg and historians, including tasks, this and Suetonius as well as the Catholic authors, Neuro himself gave the order to set Rome on fire during this terrible fire. Thousands upon thousands died, and out of the 14 districts of Rome, three districts were entirely burnt and seven partially burned. Now, Nero was conveniently out of town when the fire began, but when he heard that Rome was burning, hurried there and climbing to the top of viewing tower, he wanted to see all these sea of flames and golfing room, uh, incinerating people. He didn't fiddle cause they didn't have the fiddle yet, but instead played as lear and sang about the fall of Troy.
Speaker 0 11:35 So he's singing songs up there, the fire rage for nearly a week, and then bribed. Informers announced that Christians had set Rome on fire. Then as now, degenerate centers are offended by the inflexible in tolerance of Catholic morality. So Nero began a persecution throughout the empire. In a typical narrow type move. He'd have garden parties, but remember these are the days before electric lights, so after sunset he'd have Catholics tied to steaks and then have pitched poured upon them and then set a fire. They'd be burnt alive in order to ride the appropriate lighting and atmosphere for his garden parties. There's another facet of Niro's character that needs to be understood besides fancy himself to be a great singer and a poet more than anything else. He really desired to be the greatest source through the Dev or live. He spared no expenses in his attempt to become a master of the black arts, and this is where Simon magase enters the story again, the same sign magazine who had been rebuked by Saint Peter and Sumeria had since achieved great fame and Rome.
Speaker 0 12:40 Saint Justin martyr explains the situation in a book he sent to the emperor enrollment Senate in about 150 a d quote, and after the ascension of our Lord into heaven, the demons put forth certain men who said they were gods. One of them was Simon, a Samaritan of the village of ghetto, who in the rain of Claudia Caesar performed in your imperial city. Somebody acts of magic but art of demons operating in him and it was considered a god. And as a God was honored by you with a statue which was erected in the river Tiber between the two bridges and bore this inscription in a Latin tongue, Simoni Dale sanctum. That is to Simon the holy God and nearly all the Samaritans and even a few of other nations confess and worship him as the first God close quote Saint Justin Martyr and his book against the heresies that brilliant father, the church, Saint Erns is a disciple saint Polycarp who was himself a disciple of Saint John The apostle described signed mag career after he'd been rebuked by the apostles, Saint Peter and John in Sumeria, quote, Simon Mag has set himself eagerly to contend against the apostles and applied himself was still greater zeal to the study of the whole magic card that he might the better be wilderness and overpower multitudes of men.
Speaker 0 13:55 This man then was glorified by many as if he were a god and he taught that it was, he himself appeared among the Jews as the son, but descended in Sumeria as the father. When he came to the other nations and the character of the Holy Spirit, he represented himself in a word as being the loftiest of all powers. That is the being who is the father overall close quote, Saint Aaron as father the church. Okay, so now the stage is set both saints Peter and Paul in Rome. There's a persecution raging against the Catholics. A diabolical maniac is the emperor and wants to become a great sourcer. Simon Magase has been chased out of the Middle East by the pots. The Saint Peter is non Rome has become Nero's favorite sorcerer according to host of the church fathers including Saint Justin, Saint Ambrose, St serial, the Jerusalem and Santa Gustin. The sourcer sign in Magase in a satanic arrogance had decided to imitate the ascension of our Lord and see, told the ampere and the people that you would fly in the air.
Speaker 0 14:55 Even Deon Chrysothemis, a pagan author states that for a long time neuro captain magician is court who promised to fly. And so it came to pass that sign and Maggie snots that on a certain day he would fly in the air in front of a great crowd with neuro himself watching from his imperial booth. Simon megas began to fly in the air by demonic power, but it didn't last. Why not? Because of the prayers of two men, saints, Peter and Paul. So by the aid of demon sounding, maggots had been flying around in there, but suddenly he came to on hurdling to earth. The Pagan author Suetonius describes the scene quote, scarcely had this, Icarus begun to poison his flight. Then he felt close to Nero's lodge, which was bathed in his blood clothes. Quotes were Tony's. It's one of the fathers sarcastically remarks. He that only moments before it was flying like a bird could not even walk like a man.
Speaker 0 15:48 His leg shattered. Simon Magase died a few days later, raging and impenitent. Some of the fathers say that the feet of his favorite sourcers stood up. Nero Nero's anger even more. In any event, the persecution continued to rage and so the faithful kept imploring. Seek Peter to flee Rome to get out of tone and direct. The church from XO Saint Ambrose says that although St Peter would have preferred to stay in Rome with his people and suffer along with them, they finally coaxed him into taking flight. So Saint Peter set down that great Roman role of the Appian way. And just as he reached the gate, leaving the city, he was stunned by a vision. What did he see as Saint Peter was leaving town? He ran into Christ our lord heading into town. Peter cried, Dominique, quote, vodous Lord, where are you going in Christ? Our Lord replied, Vato Roman would eat her, him Coochie Fiji.
Speaker 0 16:41 I go to Rome to be crucified again. Saint Peter Instantly understood our lord and turned back to town to face his own martyrdom. There's a little church right there, a chapel called the Church of dominant quote. Vodous. It means literally the Church of Lord, where you going built on the site where tradition says at Saint Peter had this vision of our Lord, so he goes back. He writes his second epistle alludes to this incident in second Peter one 14 when he states that the language of this my tabernacle, but which he means his body, the lane away of this, my tabernacle is at hand according as our Lord Jesus Christ also have signified to me Saint Peter's captured and kept it a dungeon. The mammary time prison along with St Paul. They're held from some eight months during the time they converted the captains of their guards. Saints Purchases Martinican along with 47 others.
Speaker 0 17:33 St purchased them. Artinian we just commemorate them. They died on July 2nd there there commemorate aide on the visitations. They got a few days after Saints Peter and Paul on the 29th of June 67 a d the two great apostles were both drawn out of the dungeon. Saint Peter was led outside the walls, the city walls to the Vatican Hill scourged, but before he was crucified, he begged his executioners not to place him upright on the cross, but upside down as he told them, the servant should not be seen in the position once taken by the master. So Saint Peter was crucified, nailed to the cross, upside down and died.
Speaker 1 18:10 Okay.
Speaker 0 18:10 On that same day, June 29 67 80 Saint Paul was let out two miles along the Austen way to be executed, but because he was a Roman citizen, he wasn't going to be crucified. St Climate seems to indicate that Nero himself was president. This execution Saint Paul Knelt. Don prayed bandage his own eyes in a way to the sword. A soldier lopped off his head and it bounced three times down this gentle hill at each point where Saint Paul's head bounced a spring, immediately began to flow, which is nice. It's now called Trey Fontani, the three fountains. There's not Trappist monastery on this site with a church built on the site where St Paul's Modem occurred. If you walk into the church and look in the back on the pistol side, there's a short marble column there, little pillar. It's the chopping block across which St Paul laid his net. The church itself is level, but along the pesticide wall there's a little, there's a like an iron rail and there's three alters, but they're going down.
Speaker 0 19:06 So you got to go to the back corner and they go down roughly following the gentle slope of what the ground originally would've been. And each one of those alters is built over site where, where Saint Paul is headed, bounced and where the Fontan sprung up. Several years ago I was making a pilgrimage that site, and I had an interesting conversation with a priest who is preparing to say that public mass. And he told me that the water from the three springs had continually run from the time of Saint Paul's mother until the 1950s and I was astonished and kind of troubled by that. And I asked him, why do you suppose the springs dried up in the 1950s and he said, we think it's because of the sins of men.
Speaker 1 19:42 Okay.
Speaker 0 19:46 Today the heads of the two apostles are kept in civil reliquaries and the basilica St John Lateran, Saint Paul's very directly under the main altar of the basilica. St Paul outside the walls, Saint Peter's very directly under the main alter in St Peter's basilica. If you visit the Vatican today and go up to the main altar and then move off to the left, you'll find a south side all to where you're going to see a scene of his crucifixion. If you dropped a plum Bob Don from that altar dawn to the ground, that would be where he's crucified. And if he's noticed where that is, and then he'd go outside and you have to go run a Vatican garden. Look on outside the basilica. There's a plate, right? Right at that point commemorating where Saint Peter was crucified. And he's very, just a short way away. You can take a skivvy toured by asking Swiss guard how to sign up for it.
Speaker 0 20:31 And these are from the sea. They were secret excavations during pies to 12th so you're actually underneath St Peter's basilica and you know, you're walking along with a floor above your head, going up through an, uh, an ancient Roman cemetery. There's, there's different graffiti. St Peter's new here, and you finally come out to where Saint Peter's is, which is right exactly below the main altar today at holy mass. Remember, especially to thank God for the great examples of his saints, Peter and Paul, and then inspired by the insistent requests of Our Lady of Fatima. Let's especially your member to pray for protection, for prudence and for holiness. The 265th successor of St Peter, our Holy Father, the Pope Benedict, the 16th.
