The Chair of St. Peter

By Fr. Conor Donnelly

(Proofread)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence. I ask your pardon for my sins and grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

This feast celebrates the fact that St. Peter established his See in Rome. Christians were known to have celebrated this feast before the fourth century. The original name found on the ancient calendars was Natale Petri de Cathedra, which means the Birth of the Seat of Peter.

Our Lord said to Simon Peter, “I have prayed…that your faith may not fail, and…you in your turn must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32).

The Chair of St. Peter refers to his seat of authority. The Fathers of the Church use this term as a symbol of a bishop’s authority, paying special regard to the Bishop of Rome.

In the third century, St. Cyprian wrote: “Peter holds primacy so as to show that Christ’s Church is one and that his Chair is one.” He goes on to emphasize the matter of unity when he says, “God is one. The Lord is one. The Church is one. The Chair founded by Christ is one” (Cyprian, Epistle 43).

For many years, the people of Rome had on display a wooden chair which St. Peter reputedly had sat upon. Pope St. Damasus moved this relic to the baptistery of the newly built Vatican in the fourth century.

The chair was seen and honored by thousands of pilgrims from all over the Christian world. At the time when the present Basilica of St. Peter was erected, it was thought advisable to preserve the chair in bronze and gold.

Before the fourth century, in the earliest liturgical calendars of the Church, one finds this feast, the Birth of the Seat of Peter. It is a celebration of the institution of the papacy.

This feast highlights the fact that the Bishop of Rome has jurisdiction throughout the entire world. It has been a long-standing custom to commemorate the consecration of bishops in their respective dioceses. Yet these commemorations pertain solely to the limits of each diocese. The Chair of Peter, however, is unique in that it extends to all Christianity and has done so from the first centuries.

St. Augustine says, “Our forefathers gave the name ‘Chair’ to this feast so that we might remember that the Prince of the Apostles was entrusted with the ‘Chair’ of the episcopate” (Augustine, Sermon 15 on the Saints). We can think on this feast day today about our love and our obedience to the Holy Father.

We know from the tradition of the Church, particularly from St. Leo the Great (cf. Leo I, Homily 82 on the Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul), that St. Peter lived for a period of time in the city of Antioch, where the disciples, as we are told in the Acts, “were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26).

There he preached the Good News and then returned to Jerusalem, where a bloody persecution had broken out.

“At this time Herod the king set hands on certain members of the Church to persecute them. He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, and seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also, during the days of the Unleavened Bread,” as we are told in the Acts (Acts 12:3).

Freed from prison by the intercession of an angel, Peter left Palestine and “went to another place” (Acts 12:17). The Acts of the Apostles doers not state specifically where Peter went, but tradition tells us that he began to make his way to the Eternal City.

St. Jerome claims that Peter arrived in Rome during the second year of the reign of Claudius, about 43 A.D., and remained there for twenty-five years until his death (Jerome, De Viris Illustribus).

Other authors believe that Peter made two trips to Rome: one immediately following his captivity in Jerusalem, and having gone to Palestine on the occasion of the Council of Jerusalem in 49 AD, he returned to Rome. Later he carried out other missionary journeys.

St. Peter arrived at this, the capital of the world, “to better spread the light of the truth from the head to the rest of the body,” said St. Leo the Great.

“What race was not represented in this city? What peoples would ignore what Rome said? This was the proper place to refute false philosophies, to challenge the foolishness of purely human reasoning, to destroy the empty sacrifices of the cults. For it was to Rome that all the different errors had come together” (Leo I, loc. cit.)

The fisherman from Galilee became the rock and the foundation of the Church. He chose to establish this foundation in the Eternal City. Here he preached the Good News as he had done in Judea, in Samaria, in Galilee, and in Antioch.

From his Chair in Rome, Peter governed the whole Church. It was there in Rome that Peter gave up his own life for the faith in imitation of the Master.

The tomb of the Prince of the Apostles lies directly beneath the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica. This has been the constant tradition and it has recently been confirmed by archaeological investigation. The tomb serves as an enduring symbol that Simon Peter is by divine election the Church’s firm foundation. The voice of our Savior can be heard down through the centuries in the teachings of the Roman Pontiffs.

Today’s Gospel reminds us of the immortal promise made by Jesus to Peter and all of his successors as Pope: “I say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:18-19).

I was in St. Peter’s for the inauguration of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. There was a moment in that ceremony when all the, I think, a hundred-plus cardinals filed up to promise their obedience to the Pope.

During that time, the choir was singing these words: Tu es Petrus, et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam. “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church.”

That part of the ceremony took about half an hour, so we heard these words over and over again. It was very moving, very beautiful, very impressive. When you hear those words repeated so many times, it leaves a mark. That’s all that I remember of that particular occasion.

When his successor, Pope Benedict, was elected, he decided to change that part of the ceremony. Instead of having a hundred cardinals, he had one cardinal, one bishop, one priest, and one married couple representing the whole of the Church. It was finished in five minutes. But it reflected the very clear teaching of the Second Vatican Council.

St. Augustine comments, “Blessed be God, who deigned to exalt the Apostle Peter over the whole Church. It is most fitting that this foundation be honored since it is a means by which we may ascend to heaven” (Augustine, Sermon 15 on the Saints).

Acting from Rome, Peter consoled, instructed, and strengthened the many Christian churches which were developing throughout the Roman Empire.

In the First Reading of today’s Mass, Peter exhorts Church leaders in Asia Minor to shepherd their flocks with charity. He says, “Tend the flock of God which is among you, governing not under constraint, but willingly, according to God; nor yet for the sake of base gain, but eagerly” (1 Pet. 5:2).

These words of Peter hearken back to the teaching of the Master about the Good Shepherd (John 10:1 ff). We may specifically recall that moving scene after the Resurrection when Jesus said to Simon Peter: “Feed my lambs. … Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17).

This is the mission which Our Lord has entrusted to Peter and to each of his successors: to take good care of the Lord’s flock, to confirm the faith of the People of God; to safeguard doctrine and customs; to interpret the truths contained in divine Revelation with the help of the Holy Spirit.

St. Peter writes in his Second Epistle: “Therefore I shall begin to remind you always of these things; although indeed you know them and are well established in the present truth. As long as I am in this tabernacle, I think it right to arouse you by a reminder, knowing as I do that the putting off of my tabernacle is at hand, just as Our Lord Jesus Christ signified to me. Moreover, I will endeavor that after my death you may have occasion to call these things to mind” (2 Pet. 1:12-15).

Today’s feast gives us a good opportunity to deepen our filial devotion to the Holy Father and to his teachings. We should remember the quality of our personal commitment to know his teachings and to put them into practice.

Love for the Pope is a good indicator of our love for Christ. This love and veneration needs to be specified in daily prayer and sacrifice for his intentions.

“May the Lord preserve him and give him life and make him blessed on earth and not deliver him up to the will of his enemies” (Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, prayer pro Pontifice).

We should show this love in real life: whenever we make a trip for apostolic purposes, when we are sick, whenever people are attacking the Church, when we are introducing our friends to the faith.

St. Josemaría in The Way says, “Catholic, apostolic, Roman! I want you to be very Roman, ever anxious to make your ‘pilgrimage’ to Rome, videre Petrum—to see Peter” (Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, Point 520).

There are a number of passages in Scripture that remind us of our love for the Pope and of our unity to the Holy Father.

We’re told in St. Peter: “You had gone astray like sheep but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:25).

In St. John, Our Lord says, “I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe. Such a one will go in and out and will find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:9-10).

“And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too. They too will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16).

In St. Luke, He says, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail, and once you have recovered, you in your turn must strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32).

And again in St. John, “The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father’s hand” (John 10:29).

“When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the unfading crown of glory” (1 Pet. 5:4).

“When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs’” (John 21:15).

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

“Around the time that those words were spoken, Herod the king started persecuting certain members of the Church. He had James, the brother of John, beheaded. When he saw this pleased the Jews, he went on to arrest Peter as well. As it was during the days of Unleavened Bread that he had arrested him, he put him in prison, assigning four sections of four soldiers each to guard him, meaning to try him in public after the Passover. All the time Peter was under guard, the Church prayed to God for him unremittingly.

“On the night before Herod was to try him, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, fastened with two chains, while guards kept watch at the main entrance to the prison. Then suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and the cell was filled with light.

“The angel tapped Peter on the side and woke him. ‘Get up!’ he said, ‘Hurry!’ The chains fell from his hands. The angel then said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ After he had done this, the angel next said, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’

“He followed him out, but had no idea what the angel did was all happening in reality; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through the first guard post and the second, and reached the iron gate leading to the city. This opened of its own accord. They went through it and had walked the whole length of one street when suddenly the angel left him.

“It was only then that Peter came to himself, and he said, ‘Now I know it is all true. The Lord really did send his angel and save me from Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’ As soon as he realized this, he went straight to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where a number of people had assembled and were praying” (Acts 12:1-12).

In the Communion Antiphon of the Mass, we’re told, “The Good Shepherd is risen. He who laid down his life for his sheep, who died for his flock, he is risen, Alleluia.”

Our Lord, the Good Shepherd, entrusts Peter and his successors with the government of the Church to continue His mission on earth. The sacrifice of the Shepherd gave life to His sheep and brought them back to the fold.

Years later, St. Peter confirmed Christians in their faith by reminding them, in the midst of persecution, what Christ had done and suffered for them. He wrote, “By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:24-25).

The whole Church prays that “the continuing work of the Redeemer will bring us eternal joy” (Prayer over the Offerings), and asks God the Father to “give us new strength from the courage of Christ our Shepherd, and lead us to join the saints in heaven” (Collect).

The early Christians had a special affection for the image of the Good Shepherd and left countless testimonies of it in the catacombs and on many well-known ancient buildings through murals, reliefs, gravestone etchings, mosaics, and sculptures.

We are invited to contemplate our Savior’s merciful tenderness so that we may recognize the rights He acquired over each one of us by His death. It’s also good in our prayer to consider our love for the good shepherds whom He has left to guide us and keep us in His name.

Every day we should pray for the Holy Father and remind our children to pray for the Holy Father, and educate them little by little on who the Pope is and how much he needs our support and our affection.

When I was about six or seven, my father made me send a Christmas card to the Pope. I had to make it myself. He got a few sheets of hard paper, and then I had to draw an Irish mountain, and one line up and one line down—I had no artistic talents—and then a little cottage, and smoke coming out of the cottage on the hillside. The mountain had to be painted gray, and the cottage had to be painted white, and the smoke had to be gray, and the fields had to be green. Then I made a mistake, and I had to do the whole thing over again. I couldn’t wait to be finished; I didn’t know what all this was about.

Then it was sent off to Rome. There’s a policy in St. Peter’s that they always reply to every letter that they get. So a few months later, a card came back.

The first line said, “The Secretariat of State of His Holiness.” I didn’t know what that meant. But that card had to be framed and put on the wall. It took me a couple of years before I could get to the second and third line to understand the big words.

But when I came in contact with Opus Dei, then I realized what it was my father was trying to teach me ten years previously: to have a love for the Holy Father.

The Old Testament frequently refers to the Messiah as a Good Shepherd who must feed, rule, and govern God’s people who were often abandoned and scattered. The prophecies of the awaited Shepherd are fulfilled in Jesus, but in Him with new features.

He is the Good Shepherd who gives life for His sheep and who provides other shepherds to continue His mission. As opposed to thieves who seek their own interests and destroy the flock, Jesus is the door of salvation; he who enters will find abundant pasture (cf. John. 10:9).

There is a tender relationship between Jesus the Good Shepherd and His sheep. He calls each by his name. He leads them. The sheep follow because they know His voice. He is the one and only Shepherd who has only “one flock” (cf. John 10:16), protected by the Father’s love (cf. John 10:29), and He is “the chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:4).

In His last appearance before the Ascension, the risen Christ made Peter the shepherd of His flock. In this way the prophecy made to Peter before the Passion was fulfilled: “But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32). Then He prophesied that as a good shepherd, He would die for His flock.

Our Lord trusts Peter in spite of the denials. He simply asks for His love the same number of times that He had been denied. Our Lord doesn’t mind entrusting His Church to a weak man who repents and loves with deeds.

“Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep’” (John 21:17). The shepherd symbol which Jesus claimed for Himself is passed on to Peter. He must continue Our Lord’s mission and be His representative on earth.

Our Lord’s words to Peter—“Feed my lambs, feed my sheep”—explain Peter’s mission as one of guarding Our Lord’s flock without limitations. The word and verb ‘feed’ is equivalent to ‘direct and govern.’ That is what Peter is entrusted with.

Peter is made the shepherd and the guide for the whole Church. The Second Vatican Council wrote, “Jesus Christ put Peter at the head of the other apostles, and in him he set up a lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity of both faith and communion” (Vatican II, Lumen gentium, Point 18, November 21, 1964).

There’s a saying in Latin that says: Ubi Petrus ibi Ecclesia-where Peter is, there is Christ’s Church. In union with him, we know with certainty the way that leads to salvation.

The Church is built on the primacy of Peter, as on a rock, until the end of the world. Peter’s stature is immeasurably enhanced since Christ is the real foundation of the Church (1 Cor. 3:11), and Peter now takes His place. That’s why his successors have since acquired the title of Vicar of Christ, that is, one who takes the place of Christ.

Peter is the Church’s strong defense against the storms she has suffered and will suffer throughout the centuries. Built on him, as foundation and with his watchfulness as good shepherd, its victory is assured despite trials and temptations.

Peter must eventually die, but as regards his role of supreme shepherd, the First Vatican Council said, “Our Lord will assure it lasts eternally for the perpetual health and perennial good of the Church, which, being founded on rock, must remain stable to the end of time” (Vatican I, Pastor aeternus, Chapter 2, July 18, 1870).

Love for the Pope goes back to the Church’s beginnings. The Acts of the Apostles tell us movingly of the early Christians’ reaction to the imprisonment of St. Peter by Herod Agrippa, who planned to kill him when the Paschal feast was over. Meanwhile, the Church prayed unceasingly to God for him (cf. Acts 12:1-12).

“Look at how the faithful feel for their pastors,” says St. John Chrysostom. They don’t resort to protest or rebellion, but to prayer as an unfailing remedy. They did not say: as we are powerless men, it is useless to pray for him. They never reasoned in this way, but they prayed with love” (John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles).

We ought to pray a lot for the Pope and his intentions since he bears the heavy weight of the Church on his shoulders. Every day the clamor of the entire Church, spread over the world, rises to God in petition for him and with him. No Mass is celebrated without his name being mentioned, and prayers are said for him and his intentions.

Our Lord will be very pleased to see that throughout the day we remember to offer our prayers, our hours of work or study, or some mortifications, for His Vicar on earth.

St. Josemaría said in The Way, “Thank you, my God, for that love for the Pope that you have placed in my heart” (J. Escrivá, The Way, Point 573).

It would be wonderful if we could say this prayer more meaningfully every day. Love and veneration for the Roman Pontiff is one of the great gifts Our Lord has left us.

We can turn to Our Lady, Mother of the Church, and ask her in a special way to look after our Holy Father, protect him and guide him and enlighten him. May he be a symbol of unity for the whole world.

Help us, Mary, in the course of our life, to feel a greater responsibility to pray more and to be more united to the Holy Father as we progress in our life.

I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations that you have communicated to me during this meditation. I ask your help to put them into practice. My Immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph, my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

EW