Dedication of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

Today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul. The Apostles Peter and Paul both shared the same calling and mission of Christ. They are the two pillars on which the church stand. Peter's primary mission was to the Jews and Paul to the gentiles. These two princes of the church imitated Christ in life and in death. Both suffered martyrdom during the intense persecution of Christian by the Romans.
Peter was crucified upside down on the cross in Rome and his body was buried and early Christians marked his tomb and venerated it for many centuries. Paul was beheaded and buried outside the walls of Rome and the early Christians built a small structure over his tomb and venerated his martyrdom as well. After the conversion of Emperor Constantine in the 4th century, Christianity was legalized and Constantine built the first Basilica of Saint Peter and the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the walls over the tombs of the Apostle martyrs.
Each of these two structures are magnificent in their own unique way. The Basilica of Saint Peter has many chapels inside and masses are celebrated in parallel in many languages. My favorite memory of Rome is attending mass in the early morning, it reminded me of the universality of our Catholic faith and I wondered if I had already reached heaven when there were so many masses being celebrated around me at the same time. Another memorable experience was climbing up the Dome of Saint Peter's to take in the beautiful view of Vatican city and surrounding areas of Rome. Saint Paul outside the wall is also beautiful with the marble structures and the mosaics. The current Basilica was built by contributions from many countries after fire had destroyed the original Basilica in the 1800's. Each year the Pope has Ecumenical prayers in this Basilica.
From the New Testament accounts we read that Peter and Paul were so different in personality but they were united in their faithfulness to Christ. While the Roman empire is no more Christianity has survived persecutions, defections and schisms and true faith has been preserved by the blood of the martyrs. May we invoke the protection and prayers of these two saints to help us in our present challenges in our life journey. 
Saints Peter and Paul pray for us!