They Taught Both Jew and Gentile that Christ is All in All

The title of this post is taken from the third and fourth line of the special verse in Horatio Bolton Nelson's hymn By All Your Saints Still Striving dedicated to the holy apostles Peter and Paul. In a way, it calls us to continue on that missionary spirit of Sts. Peter and Paul to today's world that is returning to a materialistic entity as was the world of Ancient Rome that Peter and Paul sought to evangelize, and eventually, they conquered.

Why so much focus on Rome? Why as Catholics do we center our Faith on Rome as opposed to say, Jerusalem where Our Lord offered His life for us and where the Holy Spirit descended on Our Lady and the apostles on the birthday of the Church? Because Christ triumphed over the barbaric Roman Empire and its bloodthirsty emperors who waged war against Him, all falling to their demise. The blood shed on the cross by St. Peter as he hung upside down in his humility, that of St. Paul's on the executioner's block and axe, and the blood of the early martyrs, watered the seed that was planted through the Word of God which was preached to Jew and Gentile alike by the two apostles. Though their imitation of the Master's passion, the Sacred Heart of Jesus triumphed in conquering heart of the Roman Empire, and since then, the entire world.

Today, the Church of Rome faces attacks from each corner of the world from the neo-pagans that seek to destroy the Church as Nero and Diocletian attempted. Caught in the middle again are Peter in the person of the Holy Father. Caught are Paul, and John, and James, and Simon, and Thomas, and the other apostles in the persons of the cardinals and bishops of the Church. We are called to stand up for Christ in the face of the unbelieving world. Are you willing to carry the cross and follow Him as well? Follow Christ from this moment, carry the cross, run the race, finish the course, and keep the Faith.

We praise you for St. Peter;
We praise you for St. Paul.
They taught both Jew and Gentile
That Christ is all in all.
To cross and sword they yielded
And saw the Kingdome come:
O God Your two apostles
Won life through martyrdom.