The Chair of St. Peter

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. 
—Matthew 16:18

Parents have earned the rights to their favorite and most comfortable chair, and it is not with shyness that many have "kicked out" their sons and daughters from this chair. Few have dared to sit in mommy or daddy's chair for too long and lived freely with all of the authority that accompanies it. We all know whose chair it is—each house has authority figures who have worked hard and earned it. We have happy memories when we were small enough to sit in these chairs alongside our parents listening to them read or tell us a story, or simply just basking in their glory and closeness watching TV. It made us feel safe, special, loved and cherished. 

This week we celebrate the Feast of The Chair of Saint Peter which represents the authority of the Papacy and the wonderful ministry entrusted to Saint Peter by Jesus. We know that while Peter was a simple man, he was nonetheless chosen by God to lead our glorious Church through joyous and difficult times. We look to him and to the simplicity of his strong Faith as a guide for our own personal journeys. The symbol of the chair is very much the symbol of authority of the teaching ministry of our first leader as handed down over the centuries to bishops after him. This chair, fixed in every Cathedral in every Diocese across the world, beginning with Saint Peter's in Rome, represents the authority of our bishop leaders who give their lives in service to our needs. In the words of Pope Francis, with Saint Peter as their model, these bishops are to "Be shepherds with the smell of sheep."
 

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