The life of the Apostle Peter is full of holiness and service to God. Thanks to this, an ordinary fisherman who believes in the truth of the existence of the Lord becomes an apostle of Jesus Christ.
Life before the Messiah
The Apostle Peter, who once had the name Simon, was born in Palestine, in the city of Bethsaida. He had a wife and children, was engaged in fishing on the Gennesaret Lake. Simon's work was truly dangerous: the calm of the waters could suddenly give way to a storm. Thus, the future apostle could fish for days on end, thereby earning a living for his family. Such work brought up in him the will and perseverance, which later was very useful to him: after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, hungry and tired Peter wandered the earthly expanses, spreading the true faith.
The road to the Lord was opened to Simon thanks to his brother Andrew. A fiery love for Christ ignited in him for the rest of his life. For his devotion and fidelity, the Lord, more than all the apostles, brought him closer to himself.
On the right hand of Christ
Many biblical stories are connected with the Apostle Peter. One of them tells how Simon and his companions worked all nightfishing, but never caught anything. And only in the morning, when the Lord entered the boat of the future apostle, ordering the fishing nets to be thrown again, he received a big catch. There were so many fish that part of the catch had to be placed in the neighboring vessel of his comrades. Simon was horrified by the unprecedented number of fish. With heartfelt trembling, he turned to the Lord and, falling on his knees, asked Him to leave the boat, considering himself unworthy to be near Jesus Christ. But the Lord, choosing for himself Simon as his faithful disciple, raised him from his knees and proclaimed him not only "a fisherman of fish, but also of people." Under the load of the catch, both boats began to sink, but the Lord helped the fishermen to pull the boats ashore. Leaving everything, the man followed Christ, becoming an intimate disciple along with John the Theologian and James.
Why does Simon deserve special favor from the Lord?
One day, being with his disciples, Christ asked them who they thought he was. The Apostle Peter, without hesitation, answered that He is the true Son of the Lord and the Messiah, about whom the prophet Elijah spoke. For this recognition, Jesus Christ proclaimed him worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, handing him the keys to paradise. These words of the Lord should not be taken literally. Jesus Christ had in mind that henceforth the holy Apostle Peter is the helper and intercessor of people who are “lost” due to human weakness, doing lawlessness, but repented and reformed. Peter, the disciple of Jesus, sinned more than all the apostles, but he always confessed his offenses, as evidenced byScripture pages.
One day, when the Lord was walking on water, Peter wanted to approach his teacher and asked him to help him perform the same miracle. Stepping on the sea surface, the apostle walked on the water. Suddenly, feeling a strong wind, he became frightened and began to sink, calling on the Lord to save him. Jesus reproached Peter for his lack of faith and, giving him his hand, pulled him out of the depths of the sea. Thus, the Son of God delivered the apostle from death and despair, which was the result of lack of faith.
The Great Sin
While still faithful to Jesus, the holy apostle Peter heard from the Son of God a bitter prediction that he would deny Christ before the rooster crowed at dawn. Not believing these words, Peter always swore his loy alty and devotion to God.
But one day, when Christ was arrested after the betrayal by Judas, the apostle and another disciple followed the Lord to the very courtyard of the high priest, where they were going to interrogate the Son of God. Jesus heard many accusations against him. The false witnesses beat Him and spat in His face, but Christ endured all the torments. At that moment, Peter was in the courtyard and warming himself by the fire. One of the maids of the house noticed him and said that the apostle was with Jesus. The fear that seized Peter's heart did not allow him to admit it. The apostle, fearing for his life, denied the Lord and said that he did not know this man. Another maid, who saw Peter leaving, confirmed that she had seen him with Jesus. The apostle swore that he had never known Him. The servants of the high priest who were nearby said withcertainty that Peter was one of the disciples of Christ, but he continued to deny it in fear. Hearing the cock crow, the saint remembered the prophetic words of the Son of God and left the house in tears, bitterly repenting of his deed.
This biblical story is very allegorical in relation to the human soul. So, some theologians believe that the denunciation of Peter by a maid is nothing more than a manifestation of the weakness of the human spirit, and the crow of a rooster is the voice of the Lord from heaven, which does not allow us to relax and helps us to stay awake.
In the Gospel of John the Theologian, Jesus Christ fully restores Peter as his disciple, asking three times about his love for God. Having received an affirmative answer three times, the Son of God instructs the apostle to continue to feed "his sheep", that is, to teach the people the Christian faith.
Transfiguration of the Lord
Before Jesus Christ was arrested and then crucified, he appeared to his three disciples (Peter, James and John) in the form of God on Mount Tabor. At that moment, the apostles also saw the prophets Moses and Elijah and heard the voice of God the Father instructing the disciples. The saints saw the Kingdom of Heaven, not yet being bodily dead. After the miraculous Transfiguration, the Lord forbade his disciples to talk about what they saw. And again, the apostle Peter was called to see the greatness of God, thereby drawing even closer to the Kingdom of Heaven.
Pass to Paradise
The Apostle Peter is the keeper of the keys of the Kingdom of God. Having sinned before the Lord more than once, he became a conductor between God andpeople. After all, who, no matter how he, knew all the weakness of the human essence and himself was once plunged into this impotence. Only thanks to the Christian faith and repentance, Peter was able to comprehend the Truth and enter the Kingdom of God. The Lord, seeing the devotion of His disciple, allowed him to be the guardian of Heavenly Paradise, endowing him with the right to let in those souls of people whom he considers worthy.
Some theologians (for example, St. Augustine) are sure that the gates of Eden are guarded not only by the Apostle Peter. The keys to heaven also belong to other students. After all, the Lord always addressed the apostles in the person of Peter as the chief among his brothers.
After the resurrection of Christ
Chief of the apostles, Jesus was the first after his resurrection. And after 50 days, the Holy Spirit, who visited all the disciples, endowed Peter with unprecedented spiritual strength and the opportunity to preach the word of God. On this day, the apostle was able to convert 3,000 people to the faith of Christ, delivering a fiery speech filled with love for the Lord. A few days later, by the will of God, Peter was able to heal a man from lameness. The news of this miracle spread among the Jews, after which another 5,000 people became Christians. The power that the Lord endowed Peter came even from his shadow, which, overshadowing the hopeless patients lying on the street, healed.
Dungeon Escape
During the reign of Herod Agrippa, St. Peter was caught by the persecutors of Christians and imprisoned along with the Apostle James, who was subsequently killed. Believers in Christ prayed unceasingly for the life of Peter. Lordheard the voice of the people, and an angel appeared in prison to Peter. Heavy shackles fell from the apostle, and he was able to leave the prison without anyone noticing.
Each of the students chose their own path. Peter preached in Antioch and on the Mediterranean coast, worked miracles and converted people to the Christian faith, and then went to Egypt, where he also spoke about the coming of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter obviously knew by the will of God when his death would come. At that time, he was able to convert 2 wives of the Roman emperor Nero to the Christian faith, which caused the unprecedented wrath of the ruler. Christians, who were persecuted and exterminated at that time, persuaded the apostle to leave the city in order to avoid death. Leaving the gate, Peter met Christ himself on his way. The astonished apostle asked the son of God where he was going, and heard the answer: "To be crucified again." At that moment, Peter realized that it was his turn to suffer for the faith and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He humbly returned to the city and was seized by the pagans. The death of the Apostle Peter was painful - he was crucified on the cross. The only thing he managed was to persuade the executioners to execute him upside down. Simon believed that he was not worthy to die the same death as the Messiah himself. That is why the inverted crucifix is the cross of the Apostle Peter. Some confuse this symbolism with satanic currents. In anti-Christian teachings, it is the inverted cross that is used as a kind of mockery anddisrespect for the faith of the Orthodox and Catholics. In fact, the crucifixion of the Apostle Peter has nothing to do with this. As such, it is not used in worship, but has a place to be as a historical fact. In addition, the cross of Peter is carved on the back of the throne of the Pope, as this apostle is considered the founder of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the wider distribution of this crucifixion causes many disputes and disagreements among many, mostly unbelievers and ignorant of church affairs. So, for example, when the Pope of Rome arrived on a visit to Israel with the Petrovsky (inverted) cross, many regarded this as his hidden affiliation with Satanism. The image of this crucifixion on the stole (church robe) of the head of the Catholic Church also causes ambiguous associations among atheists who condemn the act of a disciple of Christ. Nevertheless, it is impossible for a simple person to fairly judge Peter, who was able to recover from human weakness and rise spiritually. Being "poor in spirit", the apostle Peter, whose biography is complex and multifaceted, did not dare to take the place of Christ. But, defending his faith, he dies in torment, just as the Son of God once did. In honor of Peter, the Orthodox Church established a period of fasting, starting a week after the Trinity and ending on July 12 - the day of Peter and Paul. Fasting proclaims the "firmness" of the Apostle Peter (his name in translation means "stone") and the prudence of the Apostle Paul. Petrov Lent is less strict than the Great Lent - it can be eaten as a vegetablefood and butter, and fish (excluding Wednesdays and Fridays). Peter, a disciple of Christ, is a great example for many erring, but desiring repentance souls. For those who correct their sinful lives, the apostle Peter will surely open the gates of Eden with the keys that the Lord commanded him to own.
Death of student
Crucifixion of the Apostle
Petrov's fasting
