Today we celebrate the Festival of St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles. Early Christian tradition holds that Ss. Peter and Paul were martyred on the same day in Rome under the persecution of Nero. In addition to their joint commemoration on June 29th (a festival the Church has observed since the third century or so), Ss. Peter and Paul are also commemorated separately in the calendar — St. Peter on the 18th of January for his confession of Christ and St. Paul on the 25th of January for his conversion. Both Peter and Paul are held up in Scripture as examples of men who, although flawed, became staunch defenders of and evangelists for the faith.

Today we commemorate Cyril of Alexandria, Pastor and Confessor. Cyril became Archbishop of Alexandria in AD 412. A true defender of the faith and orthodoxy, Cyril produced a number of writings dealing with various theological matters. Cyril’s Christology had a significant impact on later theologians. Additionally, Cyril defended the truth that it is proper to call Mary the “Mother of God” or Theotokos, the ‘God-bearer’.

Today we commemorate Jeremiah. Prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah, Jeremiah predicted, witnessed, and lived through the Babylonian siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Through a lifetime of prophetic work, Jeremiah communicated God’s anger toward His rebellious people and often suffered at the hands of his countrymen. Although his death is unrecorded, it is believed that Jeremiah died in Egypt, after having been forcibly transported there.

Today we commemorate the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession. Presented to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at Augsburg, Germany, on 25 June 1530, the Augsburg Confession presents the theology of the Lutheran Church and of the Reformation. At the heart of the Confession is justification by grace alone through faith alone for the sake of Christ alone — presented primarily in Article IV, often called the ‘article on which the Church stands or falls’. Through the Augsburg Confession, the Lutheran Reformers began the arduous task of removing the corruption that had crept into the Church over centuries and restoring to its rightful place the true core of Christianity: Justificatio Sola Gratia Sola Fide Solo Christo — justification by grace alone through faith alone by and through Christ alone.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. The birth of St. John the Baptist was announced, by an angel, to his father, Zechariah. Initially unbelieving, Zechariah was struck mute until his son was born, but then proclaimed a hymn of praise, the Benedictus — which traditionally serves as the Gospel Canticle in the Church’s Service of Morning Prayer. John’s life is known from all four of the Gospels. Preaching and baptizing in the wilderness near the Jordan River, John prepared the way for the Messiah — Christ. Upon seeing Christ, John announced to the crowds: “Behold, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world!” Martyred by the Herodians, whose immoral lifestyle he denounced, John is remembered for his preaching which pointed to the coming Messiah, the Lamb Who takes away the sins of the world.