St. Peter, originally known as Simon, was the son of
John, and his brother's name was Andrew. A fisherman by
trade, Jesus called Peter, along with his brother James and
John, to leave everything behind to become His followers and to catch
people's souls in their nets.
It is because of Peter's confession of faith in Jesus as Messiah
that Jesus gave him the nickname "ROCK" which means PETER and
stated that it was upon the rock of Peter's faith that the Church would rise.
All the Gospel writers list Peter first when naming the apostles of Jesus,
and there is no doubt that Peter was the "first among equals" in the minds
of the earliest Christians. Time and time again in the Gospels, however,
Peter demonstrates that his faith is imperfect, but growing. He says
things that make Jesus react strongly: he denies that Jesus’ coming death
should ever be allowed to happen, tells Jesus at the Last Supper that He
will never wash his feet, and denies association with Jesus three times,
even after Jesus predicted that he would do so. St. Peter can show us how
difficult discipleship can truly be, but is also an example of the Lord
choosing the weak and making them strong in bearing witness to Him
and now he is known for his strong faith, courage, honesty, truthfulness
and simplicity of life.
Peter was martyred for the Faith in the year 64. AD in Rome, the
city he served as its first Bishop. His successors in that office, who
exercise the ministry of Bishop of Rome to this day, are given a primacy
of honor and jurisdiction among all the world's bishops and are known by
POPE of the universal Church.
May St. Peter inspire and lead us to gain wisdom and
understanding so as to grow in knowledge to love God and our fellow-
beings.