Today is Feb. 22, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.
We read in the Gospel for today’s feast, “I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:19).
During the rehearsal for my Uncle Jeff and Aunt Lori’s wedding at the pro-Cathedral of Indianapolis, St. John the Evangelist, I sat in a seat I had no business sitting in. (For the record, my cousin warned me not to.) A noble chair, set apart by its elaborate decoration and even an elegant rope with tassels across the seat, was practically begged to be sat in by a mischievous 13-year-old.
It was the throne of the archbishop of Indianapolis.
Seeing me on my newfound perch, the organist pulled me off and firmly explained that it was a special chair — one that was not for teenage boys. Ironically, twenty years later, believe me when I say I have no desire to sit in the chair of any bishop!
The chair is special because it signifies the bishop’s authority. “Cathedra” literally means seat; cathedrals take their name from the bishop’s chair. The bishop is entrusted with the care of souls, to govern and to teach. He is to instruct and defend his people.
A special authority given to St. Peter
And to Peter, set over the 12 as their head, a special authority was given. Peter would journey from Jerusalem to Antioch, and eventually to Rome. From Rome he would govern the universal Church.
Three centuries after Peter gave his life for the Faith in Rome, St. Jerome wrote a touching letter to Pope Damasus I, professing his allegiance to the successor of St. Peter. In that letter he says, “As I follow no leader save Christ, so I communicate with none but your blessedness, that is with the chair of Peter. For this, I know, is the rock on which the Church is built!”
Today, on this feast, let us pray in a special way for Pope Francis, entrusted with the office of the Petrine ministry. May his teaching and example inspire the world to better know and love the saving truth of Christ preserved in his holy and apostolic Church!
Let us pray,
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
