Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul. We remember on this day the martyrdom of these two founding missionaries of the Christian Faith, although they were each martyred separately. The Scriptures do not record the deaths of Peter or Paul, but according to tradition, Peter was crucified and Paul was beheaded. The only apostle whose death is recorded is that of James the son of Zebedee, of which we hear today in our first reading, but the deaths of Peter and Paul are clearly anticipated in other passages of the New Testament. From an early date it was believed that they were both martyred at Rome at the command of the Emperor Nero, and that Peter was buried under what is now the Church of St. Peter's. In recent years, this feast has gained in Ecumenical importance as a day on which the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople have celebrated liturgies at which prayers are offered asking the Lord to bring our two churches into closer communion. This was especially true during the time of Pope John Paul II. Our second reading from the 2nd Letter to Timothy is a moving passage in which Paul anticipates his own martyrdom. Both Peter and Paul carried out faithfully the missions that they were given, and each expected that he would eventually pay the ultimate price for his faithful service to the Gospel. In remembering them today, let us pray: