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The Time After Pentecost
Now I know that in very deed the Lord hath sent His angel and hath delivered me out of the
hand of Herod, and from the expectation of the people of the Jews” (Epistle).
In Peter the Church sees herself today. Just as God freed Peter from his enemies, so, too,
He has often delivered her in time of trial. She sees Peter’s delivery repeated in her own history.
She has been persecuted by men, taken prisoner, oppressed, and persecuted; and yet she has
been wonderfully saved by the angel of the Lord. Thankfully the Church rejoices in the Introit:
“Now I know in very deed that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the
hand of Herod.” This Introit refers not to Peter alone, but to the whole Church.
This incident is repeated likewise in the life of every Christian who is faithful to Christ
and to the Church and her teachings. “The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” We are
founded on Peter and, through Peter, on Christ the Lord. We shall overcome all evil if we cling
obediently and faithfully to Peter: to the Church and her sacraments, her moral doctrines, and
her priesthood.
“Whom do men say that the Son of Man is?” Whatever men may say today concerning Christ,
we stand with Peter and confess, “Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.” “Thou alone art
holy, Thou alone art the Lord, Thou alone art most high, O Jesus Christ, together with the Holy
Ghost in the glory of God the Father” (Gloria).
Our power and safety lies in our union with Peter, with the Church, with Rome, with our
bishops and priests. When we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, we enter into the deepest and most
intimate union with Christ and His Church. Thus united with Peter, we ourselves become a
rock, and on this rock the Lord will build His Church and the kingdom of His glory and grace.
Prayer
O God, who hast consecrated this day to the martyrdom of Thy apostles Peter and Paul, grant
that Thy Church may in all things follow their teaching, from whom it first received the faith.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
July 1, The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord
The month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood, just as the month of June is dedicated
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The entire wealth and value of redemption is contained in
the precious blood of Christ. Therefore the feast of the Most Precious Blood is one on which
we should express our gratitude for the redemption we have received through Jesus Christ.
“Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, in Thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue, and people and
nation, and hast made us to our God a kingdom” (Introit). We have been redeemed. The liturgy
already counts us among the blessed in heaven. With the Church triumphant we cast ourselves
down on our faces before the Lamb; “and they sang a new canticle, saying: O Lord, . . . Thou
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God in Thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue, . . . and
hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests” (Apoc 5:9 f.). “The mercies of the Lord I will
sing forever; I will show forth Thy truth with my mouth to generation and generation” (Introit).
What our Lord did was something quite different from that done by the high priest of the Old
Testament. Once a year the high priest entered into the temple where the Ark of the Covenant
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