FEVRUARY 22, 2018 : FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER, APOSTLE

Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Lectionary: 535

Reading I1 PT 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.

Responsorial PsalmPS 23:1-3A, 4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Verse Before The GospelMT 16:18

You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church;
the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

Gospel MT 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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Meditation: The keys of the kingdom of heaven

At an opportune time Jesus tests his disciples with a crucial question: Who do men say that I am and who do you say that I am? He was widely recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being compared with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always quick to respond, exclaimed that he was the Christ, the Son of the living God.  No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter; but only God.

Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD), an early church father comments on Peter's profession of faith in Jesus:

Peter did not say "you are a Christ" or "a son of God" but "the Christ, the Son of God." For there are many christs [meaning anointed ones] by grace, who have attained the rank of adoption [as sons], but [there is] only one who is by nature the Son of God. Thus, using the definite article, he said, the Christ, the Son of God. And in calling him Son of the living God, Peter indicates that Christ himself is life and that death has no authority over him. And even if the flesh, for a short while, was weak and died, nevertheless it rose again, since the Word, who indwelled it, could not be held under the bonds of death. (FRAGMENT 190)

Jesus plays on Peter's name which is the same word for "rock" in both Aramaic and Greek.  To call someone a "rock" is one of the greatest of compliments. The ancient rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world upon". Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was. He was the first apostle to recognize Jesus as the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God. The New Testament describes the church as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones.

Jesus then confers on Peter authority to govern the church that Jesus would build, a church that no powers would overcome because it is founded on the rock which is Christ himself. Epiphanius, a 6th century Scripture scholar who also translated many early church commentaries from Greek into Latin, explains the significance of Jesus handing down the "keys of the kingdom":

For Christ is a rock which is never disturbed or worn away. Therefore Peter gladly received his name from Christ to signify the established and unshaken faith of the church.… The devil is the gateway of death who always hastens to stir up against the holy church calamities and temptations and persecutions. But the faith of the apostle, which was founded upon the rock of Christ, abides always unconquered and unshaken. And the very keys of the kingdom of the heavens have been handed down so that one whom he has bound on earth has been bound in heaven, and one whom he has set free on earth he has also set free in heaven. (INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 28)

The Lord Jesus offers us the gift of unshakeable faith, enduring hope, and unquenchable love - and the joyful boldness to proclaim him as the one true Savior who brings us the kingdom of God both now and forever. Who do you say he is to yourself and to your neighbor?

"Lord Jesus, I profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are my Lord and my Savior. Make my faith strong like Peter's and give me boldness to speak of you to others that they may come to know you personally as Lord and Savior and grow in the knowledge of your great love."

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FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER THE APOSTLE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, MATTHEW 16:13-19
(1 Peter 5:1-4; Psalm 23)

KEY VERSE: "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven" (v. 19).
TO KNOW: Peter confessed his faith in Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, the "Son of the living God" (v. 16). Jesus declared that Peter was the foundation, the "rock" (v. 18) upon which he would build his Church. Using the figure of a "key," Jesus conferred supreme authority upon Peter. The "key of the House of David" was a symbol of power for Israel (Is 22:22). Jesus was the "Son of David" who possessed the authority to open the door to the New Jerusalem, the kingdom of heaven (Rev 3:7-8). The power to "bind" and "loose," that is, to grant or forbid according to the law, was given to the Church. Whenever the Church chooses to bind up the wounds of people, God is binding those wounds. When the Church loosens the chains of sin’s power, God frees the human heart to forgive and to love. The powers of evil cannot prevail over Christ's power in the Church, despite her sins. The Catholic Church regards Peter as the chief apostle and first leader of the Church whose successor is Pope Francis I, the Holy Father in Rome. It was the rock of Peter's faith that enabled him to follow Jesus until he himself died as a martyr.
TO LOVE: Do I hand on the faith that I received, just as the apostles did in their time?
TO SERVE: St. Peter, help me to serve the Church with love and zeal as you did.
NOTE: The Pope continues today as the Apostolic successor of Peter. When the Pope speaks as the visible head of the Church, from the chair (cathedra) of authority, he speaks with papal infallibility (ex cathedra), which Vatican I defined as the will of the redeemer to preserve the Church from error in matters of faith and morals. St. Augustine wrote: "In essentials, unity, in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things charity." 

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Thursday 22 February 2018

Chair of St Peter, Apostle.

1 Peter 5:1-4. Psalm 22(23). Matthew 16:13-19.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want – Psalm 22(23.

‘Upon this rock I will build my church …’

Jesus declares this to Peter, clearly and fervently. Peter accepts the commission, and so in turn it becomes our mission. Similarly, in the first reading we read that we need to ‘tend the flock of God that is our charge’ – not because we have to, or feel it is our responsibility to do so, but rather because it is our choice to be examples to the flock. We must look after each other, and be an example of God’s love to each other.

Lord God, we pray that we may be shepherds of your flock. Help us to model your love for us to each other. Through this, may we continue to build your church from where Peter began.

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Chair of Saint Peter

Saint of the Day for February 22

The Story of the Chair of Saint Peter

This feast commemorates Christ’s choosing Peter to sit in his place as the servant-authority of the whole Church.

After the “lost weekend” of pain, doubt, and self-torment, Peter hears the Good News. Angels at the tomb say to Magdalene, “The Lord has risen! Go, tell his disciples and Peter.” John relates that when he and Peter ran to the tomb, the younger outraced the older, then waited for him. Peter entered, saw the wrappings on the ground, the headpiece rolled up in a place by itself. John saw and believed. But he adds a reminder: “…[T]hey did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9). They went home. There the slowly exploding, impossible idea became reality. Jesus appeared to them as they waited fearfully behind locked doors. “Peace be with you,” he said (John 20:21b), and they rejoiced.

The Pentecost event completed Peter’s experience of the risen Christ. “…[T]hey were all filled with the holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4a) and began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.

Only then can Peter fulfill the task Jesus had given him: “… [O]nce you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). He at once becomes the spokesman for the Twelve about their experience of the Holy Spirit—before the civil authorities who wished to quash their preaching, before the Council of Jerusalem, for the community in the problem of Ananias and Sapphira. He is the first to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. The healing power of Jesus in him is well attested: the raising of Tabitha from the dead, the cure of the crippled beggar. People carry the sick into the streets so that when Peter passed his shadow might fall on them.

Even a saint experiences difficulty in Christian living. When Peter stopped eating with Gentile converts because he did not want to wound the sensibilities of Jewish Christians, Paul says, “…I opposed him to his face because he clearly was wrong…. [T]hey were not on the right road in line with the truth of the gospel…” (Galatians 2:11b, 14a).

At the end of John’s Gospel, Jesus says to Peter, “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go” (John 21:18). What Jesus said indicated the sort of death by which Peter was to glorify God. On Vatican Hill, in Rome, during the reign of Nero, Peter did glorify his Lord with a martyr’s death, probably in the company of many Christians.

Second-century Christians built a small memorial over his burial spot. In the fourth century, the Emperor Constantine built a basilica, which was replaced in the 16th century.

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For more on Saint Peter’s chair, click here.

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Reflection

Like the committee chair, this chair refers to the occupant, not the furniture. Its first occupant stumbled a bit, denying Jesus three times and hesitating to welcome gentiles into the new Church. Some of its later occupants have also stumbled a bit, sometimes even failed scandalously. As individuals, we may sometimes think a particular pope has let us down. Still, the office endures as a sign of the long tradition we cherish and as a focus for the universal Church.

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LECTIO DIVINA: CHAIR OF SAINT PETER, APOSTLE

Lectio Divina: 

 Thursday, February 22, 2018

Lent Time

1) OPENING PRAYER

Almighty God,
you have given us the witnessing of the apostles
as the firm rock on which we can rely.
Where Peter is, there is the Church.
But we see today that the bark of Peter is rocked;
we are often like capricious children
unused to our newfound freedom.
Make us use this freedom responsibly
and do not allow us to lose our composure.
Reassure us that You are always with us
and keep us optimistic about the future,
for it is Your future
and You are our rock for ever.

2) GOSPEL READING - 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."

3) REFLECTION

Today s Gospel presents us three points: the opinion of the people concerning Jesus (Mt 16:13-14), the opinion of Peter regarding Jesus (Mt 16:15-16) and the response of Jesus to Peter (Mt 16:17-19).
Matthew 16:13-14: The opinion of the people regarding Jesus. Jesus asks for the opinion of the people regarding who He is. The responses are diverse: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Not one of them gives the right answer. Today, the opinion of the people regarding Jesus is also very varied.
Matthew 16:15-16: The opinion of Peter regarding Jesus. Immediately, He asks the opinion of the disciples. Peter becomes the spokesperson and says: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God! The response is not new. The disciples had already said the same thing (Mt 14:33). In the Gospel of John, the same profession of faith is made by Martha (Jn 11:27). It means that through Jesus the prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled.
Matthew 16:17-19: The response of Jesus to Peter. The responses come from several places: Blessed are you, Simon. Jesus proclaims Peter blessed because he had received the revelation from the Father. The response of Jesus is not new. Previously, He had praised the Father for having revealed the Son to little ones and not to the wise (Mt 11:25-27) and had made the same proclamation of blessed to the disciples because they were seeing and hearing things that before nobody knew (Mt 13:16).
- Peter is Rock (Pietra). Peter has to be Rock, the stable foundation for the Church in such a way that it can resist against the gates of Hell. With these words from Jesus, Matthew encourages the communities which were persecuted by Syria and Palestine. Even if weak and persecuted, the communities have a stable foundation, guaranteed by the words of Jesus. The rock as the basis of faith reminds the people the words of God to the People in exile: Listen to me, you who pursue saving justice, you who seek Yahweh. Consider the rock from which you were hewn, the quarry from which you were dug. Consider Abraham your father and Sarah who gave you birth. When I called him he was the only one but I blessed him and made him numerous. (Is 51:1-2). It indicates a new beginning.
- Peter, Rock. Jesus gives a name to Simon and calls him Rock (Peter). In two ways, he is rock-foundation, (Mt 16:18) and is rock (pietra) a stumbling obstacle, (Mt 16:23). In our Catholic Church we insist very much on Peter rock-foundation and we forget Peter-stumbling rock or obstacle. On the one hand Peter was weak in his faith, doubtful, and tries to deviate or withdraw from Jesus. He was afraid in the garden, he fell asleep and fled, he did not understood what Jesus was saying. On the other hand, he was like the little ones whom Jesus called blessed. Being one of the twelve, he became their spokesman. Later, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, his image grew and he became a symbol of the community. Peter is firm in faith not because of his own merits, but because Jesus prays for him, in order that his faith would not fail (Lk 22:31-34).
- Church, Assembly. The word church, in Greek, eklesia, appears 105 times in the New Testament, almost exclusively in the Acts of the Apostles and in the Epistles. In the Gospels it appears three times, only in Matthew. The word literally means convoked or chosen . It indicates the people who gather together, convoked by the Word of God and who try to live the message of the Kingdom which Jesus brings. The Church or the community is not the Kingdom, but it is an instrument and a sign or indication of the Kingdom. The Kingdom is greater. In the Church, in the community, it should appear in the eyes of all what happens when a human group allows God to reign and allows Him to take possession of our life.
- The keys of the Kingdom. Peter receives the keys of the Kingdom. This same power of uniting or binding and of separating or loosening is also given to the communities (Mt 18:18) and to the other disciples (Jn 20:23). One of the points which the Gospel of Matthew insists the most is reconciliation and pardon or forgiveness. It is one of the more important tasks of the coordinators of the communities. Imitating Peter, they should bind and loose, that is, do in such a way that there be reconciliation, reciprocal acceptance, and construction of the fraternal spirit.

4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS

What are the opinions in our community regarding Jesus? Do they enrich the community or do they make the journey and communion more difficult?
Who is Jesus for me? Who am I for Jesus?

5) CONCLUDING PRAYER

Turn your ear to me, make haste.
Be for me a rock-fastness,
a fortified citadel to save me.
You are my rock, my rampart;
true to your name, lead me and guide me! (Ps 31,2-3)

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