[Oratio Vigilia] !For the Vigil of Blessed Peter and Paul Apostles We pray, Almighty God, that thou suffer no disturbance to shake us, who thou hast firmly established, as on a rock, on the faith of thy Apostles $Per Dominum [Lectio Vigilia] !For the Vigil of Blessed Peter and Paul Apostles From the Holy Gospel according to John !John 21:15-17 At that time: Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? And so on, and that which followeth. _ A Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop !Tractatus 123 in Joannem. in medio To the threefold denial there is now appended a threefold confession, that his tongue may not yield a feebler service to love than to fear, and imminent death may not appear to have elicited more from his lips than present life. Let it be the office of love to feed the Lord's flock, if it was the signal of fear to deny the Shepherd. Those who have this purpose in feeding the flock of Christ, that they may have them as their own, and not as Christ's, are convicted of loving themselves, and not Christ, from the desire either of boasting, or wielding power, or acquiring gain, and not from the love of obeying, serving and pleasing God.