+ This feast of the Chair of St. Peter commemorates two dates that have reference to the chair which St. Peter sat in while presiding at Mass: one date in the early years was a January 18, at Rome; another was February 22 (this date) at Antioch where he went to found a diocese. There were most likely many different chairs – but – the one that is in place at the Vatican Basilica today is one that holds with it the idea of the pastoral authority of both St. Peter and his successors, the subsequent popes of Church history. The presidential chair of a diocesan bishop in his cathedral and the parish priest in a church holds the same dignity and honor. It is interesting to note that Peter was probably not the first “bishop of Rome” and not the “first pope” – (as these concepts and titles had not yet been developed) but all the authority of leadership in the community rested in him (and his collaboration with the other apostles), as well as the “power of the keys” – the juridical power of distributing the mercy and graces of God sacramentally – especially in the sacrament of Penance.
The gospel passage relates the
story of the rock-like profession of Peter’s faith in Jesus – which is what the
Church is founded on – and Jesus’ subsequent revelation that his Father works
in the minds and hearts of those he chooses, and that assignments to vocational
work comes from God and Jesus: in this case the application of the merits of
Jesus’ death and Resurrection: the power of forgiveness and efficacious loving!
Today, in the first reading we
hear Peter encouraging the new priests of the church (as a fellow priest) to
love their flocks and work diligently for them, not for profit or gain or show,
but because it is a task assigned by God:
to feed the flock, to lead the flock safely home!
You
are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church; the gates of the
netherworld shall not prevail against it – but it might come very
close to doing so!
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