The Chair of St. Peter

1 Peter 5: 1-4 - Priests, don’t lord your power over the people.

Matthew 16: 13-19 - Peter: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

We celebrate a special feast today, it is known as The Chair of St. Peter.  This feast does not celebrate where Peter sat, but rather, the authority he was given by Jesus.  All Peter had to do was speak what he believed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” and he received the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Keys are more than tools to get in and out of locked doors, they represent authority, they represent power.  Even the name “Peter” is symbolic of this new authority he was given.  In Aramaic “Kephas” meant rock, but when we read the Gospels it’s very easy to wonder, why Simon?  His abilities as an authority figure were less than stellar.  After promising he would stay with Jesus to the end, he ran from the Garden of Gethsemene.  At the trial he denied Jesus three times.  At times it was clear that Simon would much rather be fishing for Mackerel than for people.  He was a late bloomer, though, and he learned from his experiences of leading the Church how to discern what is best for those who were baptized into the Church.  He learned how to shepherd them with good pastoral gentleness and care.

His authority is that of a rock, not a mountain protecting some mighty fortress, but one upon which to be seated, to think, discern, and decide.  It is a place upon which the Gospel can be proclaimed.  It is a place from which the teachings of the Church can be told to disciples who are eager to learn.