Feast of the Chair of
Saint Peter
February 22, 2014 8:30am
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
February 22, 2014 8:30am
As I said at the beginning of
Mass, today is called the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter.
In public places in the ancient
world, only the powerful had a chair to sit in.
For example, there were public
buildings that were called basilicas.
These buildings were used for
trials and other kinds of judicial proceedings and the judge had a chair.
Then, when Christianity became
the official religion of the Roman Empire in the year 313, these basilicas became
places for Christian worship.
The chair upon which the judge
sat became the seat or chair of the bishop.
It was a symbol of his authority.
Our word “cathedral” is from the
Latin word “cathedra” which means chair, and that is why our cathedrals have a
special chair for the bishop.
The chair designates the
authority of the bishop.
St. Peter never had such a chair,
but we project this long tradition back to him to recognize his leadership in
the early Church.
In today’s gospel, Jesus says to
Simon: “From now on, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church.”
The word that we translate as
“Peter” also meant “rock,” and that is why Jesus says, “upon this rock I
will build my church.”
In the same way, the word “rock” as
rock also had two meanings.
It meant a foundation upon which
something could be built.
And it also meant a stumbling
block over which someone might trip.
It seems possible that in
applying this word to Peter, Jesus has both senses of the word in mind.
Peter has his shortcomings that could
be stumbling blocks.
However, in the long run he deals
with these and gives himself fully to the Lord and to tending God’s flock.
This is how he is our foundation.
I suggest that in this way, Peter
is a model for all of us.
We also need to admit and deal
with our shortcomings, and, as we do this, give of ourselves as fully as
possible to the Lord and to God’s work on this earth.
That will be a firm foundation
for our lives.
