Peter

Peter"As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, 'Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him." (Matthew 4:18-20)

Simon. More generally known as Peter or Cephas. The brother of Andrew. A fisherman from the Sea of Galilee. “The first of the apostles, whose name leads all the lists given in the Gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke, and the book of Acts, is the most dynamic and striking personality of the Twelve” (Edgar J. Goodspeed. The Twelve, The Story of Christ’s Apostles. New York: Collier Books, 1962. p. 44).

    St Peter and St Paul, whose feast is celebrated on June 29, are pictured in this window.  St Peter holds in his right hand the patriarchal cross used by Roman Catholic Archbishops.  The top bar represents the inscription INRI that Pilate had placed above the head of Jesus.  Below the patriarchal cross are the crossed keys symbolical of Peter’s authority as the first Pope.  In his left hand he holds the shepherd’s staff or crosier.  St Paul holds in his hand a feathered quill and a manuscript, symbolical of his voluminous writings.  The words, “Spiritus Gladius” in the picture below means “Sword of the Spirit,”  a reference to St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6:17 in which Paul reminds all of us, “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”   The sword is also a symbol of the persecution of Christians by Saul before he was struck from his horse and converted to Christianity.  He later became known as Paul.  St Paul is believed to have suffered martyrdom by beheading and St Peter by being crucified upside down on the cross.  The upside down cross is seen at the bottom of the sword in the bottom window.   The top window reminds us of the theological virtue of Faith.  Our understanding of our Faith brings us to both the cross and the vine which are symbols of Jesus, the True Vine Who redeemed us by His death on the cross.  (Compiled by Phyllis Evans)

Peter the Fisherman, General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI, 05/17/06

Peter the Apostle, General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI, 05/24/06

Peter, the rock, General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI, 06/07/06