Monday, February 22

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010 - FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER

1 PETER 5:1-4

    Beloved: I exhort the presbyters among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed. Tend the flock of God in your midst, overseeing not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

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MATTHEW 16:13-19

    When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
    Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
    Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 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."

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Today we celebrate the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Since the fourth century this feast has been celebrated as a feast of the unity of the Church under the leadership of St. Peter and his successors, the popes. We can see the pastoral care of Peter in the first reading as he exhorts the presbyters (priests) to tend the flock that God has given them with the care of a true shepherd.

But it's the Gospel reading that most Catholics would point to as the passage that identifies Peter as the first pope and leader of the Christian Church. Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem and the completion of his mission. In a reflective moment he asks the apostles who people say that he is. They seem ready with the answers, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Yet when he asks them, "But who do you say that I am?" You can almost sense an uneasy silence as they look at one another nervously. Finally Peter breaks the silence (Thank God for Peter they all think to themselves with relief) with the profession of faith, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus tells Peter that this has been revealed to him by God himself and that Peter has accepted this truth free of the distorted views of the world.

The next pronouncements by Jesus form the heart of the authority of the Church under the Chair of Peter. Jesus says: And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 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." Peter is not only the rock upon which Jesus will build his Church, the first pope and leader selected by God himself, but the power invested with that office will insure that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But authority does not end there, the Church, through the authority of the Holy See, will have the power to forgive sins and the power to bind. This is no small authority. Jesus gives to his Church, through the authority of the pope, the power to free her members from the effects of sin, this power won for the Church on the cross. This is why we go to a priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for forgiveness of our sins, because Jesus himself gave that authority to the Church.

This is also why obedience to the pope is not an option for Catholics. His authority is given by Christ himself. When we disagree with Papal teaching, therefore, our first reaction should be to pause in prayer and reflect on how we may be mistaken in our opinion. Sadly, many today think that they are free to accept some teachings and reject others, confident that they have prayed more about the teaching, are as fully open to the whispering of the Holy Spirit about the teaching, and are as free from influence by the world on the teaching, as the pope himself. Such a position is fraught with danger.

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Lord Jesus, you gave to Peter and his successors full authority over your Church. Help me to live a life obedient to that authority. Keep my always humble enough to look to the Church for guidance and to seek forgiveness for my disobedience in her sacraments.