The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Tuesday, February 22, 2022

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.”

This ancient Feast primarily celebrates the ancient authority of St. Peter as the Bishop of Rome over the Universal Church, handed down even to the present time.  The English word “chair” is to be understood in terms of the word “seat”, as in “the county seat” — where the county governing body meets.  It ought to be mentioned, though, that a certain wooden chair, made from oak, does exist that is said to have been used by St. Peter.  It is kept in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”  Reading the Lord’s words, we must recall that just recently, the Lord had rebuked the Apostles for failing in their faith in trust that he could feed them: “Why do you think within yourselves, O ye of little faith, for that you have no bread?” (Matthew 16, 8).    This failure in faith came shortly after they had seen the Lord feed thousands of people with a few loaves and some fish.  Thus, the confession of Peter could only have as a response to a revelation by the Father.  The other Apostles would have marveled over this as over any of the Lord’s miracles.  Perhaps Peter himself wondered at what he said.  Yet the confession of faith demonstrated clearly that Peter had been chosen for the revelation of God as the one most fit for it.  Jesus then reveals to him and to the other Apostles what this meant: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”  The Lord changes Simon’s name just as he had changed Abraham’s and Sarah’s names long, long ago.  This change of name shows a change in destiny.  By calling Simon son of Jonah “Rock”, the Lord gives him a name or a description that was used for himself: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress” (Psalm 18, 2).  The Lord also uses a word that recalls the conclusion to his Sermon on the Mount: “Every one therefore that hears these my words, and does them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock” (Matthew 7, 24-25).  The Lord makes clear that he is giving Peter an enduring authority that will protect and spread his Gospel.  It will indeed move against the gates of hell and dispel the evil and unbelief in the world, and making the land fruitful with Christians.

“I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.”  These “keys” are the Sacraments, through which all grace comes into the world.  Through possession of these keys popes down through the millennia have consecrated bishops who have ordained priests to whom is entrusted the power to confect and dispense the Sacraments to the people.  First among these is that of Baptism: “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  Those baptized here on earth are unbound from sin to enjoy freedom in heaven.  And for those who sin after baptism, the Sacrament of Penance restores this freedom.  The successor of St. Peter shares this power with the bishops who share it with the priests.

We thank God for the Office of the Papacy which safeguards our unity, defends the Holy Faith, and seeks to extend it to all the world.