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Views from the Choir Loft

Strong with God’s Strength

Fr. David Friel · June 29, 2014

UNE 29TH every year is the date on which we celebrate Ss. Peter & Paul. Because this is such an important solemnity, even this year, when the 29th of June falls on a Sunday, we still celebrate the Mass in their honor.

Peter and Paul are two of the greatest saints we lay claim to in our heritage. They were also two of the greatest sinners. Peter was supposed to be the “rock” upon which Jesus built His Church. But he is the one who denied Jesus three times during His Passion. With all his impetuosity, Peter turned out to be one of the shakiest “rocks” Christ could have chosen to be the foundation for the Church.

Similarly, Paul had been one of the strongest persecutors of Christianity. In his Letter to the Galatians, he describes his “former way of life”: “I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy her” (Galatians 1:13). Prior to his conversion, Saul was one of the most influential and horrible opponents the Church has ever faced. So how did Peter & Paul become so central to our Church? How did they become saints?

Paul, himself, gives us the answer in his Second Letter to Timothy. He writes: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed” (2 Timothy 4:17). What a consoling thought! This is the secret to becoming a saint: be strong with God’s strength, rather than your own. Our own strength is necessarily limited; the strength of God, however, is limitless.

We do well to remember that every saint (save for the Blessed Mother) is, first and foremost, a sinner. Peter & Paul would have appeared as clearly weak men to anyone who knew them. Peter could only become the rock because Christ had been the cornerstone before him. Paul could only become a great preacher because Jesus was the Word he preached. When they were imprisoned, when Paul was shipwrecked, when Peter hung upon his own cross of crucifixion, the Lord “stood by” them all along.

In the revised orations for the Vigil Mass of this solemnity, the Prayer over the Offerings beautifully requests the Lord’s assistance “so that the more we doubt our own merits, the more we may rejoice that we are to be saved by Your loving kindness.”

Although they were weak sinners, Peter & Paul, by their lives and by their martyrdom, bring us Good News. The Good News is that—for all of us who are weak—there’s hope. The Lord stands by us, and He can make us saints, too.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Roman Missal Third Edition Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and teaches liturgy at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3). I'm not a fan of chant in octaves, but we had such limited time to rehearse, it seemed the best choice. After all, everyone should have an opportunity to learn “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium,” which summarizes Candlemas.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“If we continue to tolerate sad examples of liturgical abnormalities, experimentation, abuse, and simply poor-quality liturgies, why should we single out those connected to the ancient rites of the Church for special vigilance? It just doesn’t seem right.”

— An Example of a response (sent to Pope Francis) Re: the TLM

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