Holy and Glorious Chief Apostles

Today is the Feast of the Apostle Peter and Paul, chief apostles according to the Tradition of the Church. Some think that the ‘real’ feast is tomorrow, the Synaxis of all the Holy Apostles, but if you’re paying attention to the life of the Church, you realize today is the Feast of note. Here are some indicators that today is the main feast, and tomorrow is the ‘follow up’ feast.

The fast ends today. We have been fasting as preparation to celebrate this day, although being a Wednesday this year, the celebration is muted by eating fish rather than meat. If today had been a Tuesday, for example, there would be no fasting. This is one simple way to indicate that today is the main feast.

The feast tomorrow is called the Synaxis, which is a term used when a ‘associated’ characters of a feast are honored. The day after Theophany is the Synaxis of John the Baptist. The day after Christmas is the Synaxis of the Theotokos, etc. In the case of the Holy Apostles, they each have their own feast except Saints Peter and Paul, who are celebrated today.

The Great Vespers last night included readings from Scripture. Tonight’s Great Vespers do not include readings. I’ve mentioned this before regarding the lectionary of the Church. Scripture used to be read during Great Vespers, not current practice includes only certain feasts. The feasts normally chosen are older and of greater importance which is why the older tradition is kept. Since the Great Vespers for Saints Peter and Paul include Scripture readings, while the Synaxis of the Apostles does not, that indicates which is of greater honor on the calendar.

Finally, we have the honor given in the commemoration itself. Today is the Feast of the Holy, Glorious, Praiseworthy and Chief Apostles, Peter and Paul. They are honored together as leaders of the Apostles, not just members of the group. This last point may be missed by our Protestant brothers and sisters because they ‘normally’ do not acknowledge the hierarchy of the ancient Church as we do.

None of these points any way diminishes the honor given by the Church to the entire group of the Twelve. The point for today, as we tend to appreciate at Be Transfigured Ministries, is for us to appreciate how the Liturgical life of the Church is always a teaching tool. Through fasting and feasting, through Scripture readings, and through dates on a calendar. The Church is always bringing to a deeper appreciation for the Faith of Christ and His Church. The Church does not exist without leadership, and today is a celebration of two of the earliest leaders of the Church, so we give thanks to God for their leadership and His Grace.