The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast) ~ 2014

The feast of the Chair of St. Peter commemorates the papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. Peter was chosen by Jesus Christ to sit in His place as the servant-authority of the whole His Church. Matthew 16:18, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.". The psalm (below) is fitting for the feast, it focuses on the relationship between God as the shepherd of our souls and we as the individual members of his flock. St. Peter was chosen and given the authority to shepherd all of God's people and His Church.

"The Feast of the Chair of St Peter. This is a very ancient tradition, proven to have existed in Rome since the fourth century. On it we give thanks to God for the mission he entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his Successors. ...... Celebrating the "Chair" of Peter, therefore, as we are doing today, means attributing a strong spiritual significance to it and recognizing it as a privileged sign of the love of God, the eternal Good Shepherd, who wanted to gather his whole Church and lead her on the path of salvation. ...... In the apse of St Peter's Basilica, as you know, is the monument to the Chair of the Apostle, a mature work of Bernini. It is in the form of a great bronze throne supported by the statues of four Doctors of the Church: two from the West, St Augustine and St Ambrose, and two from the East: St John Chrysostom and St Athanasius. ......"

~ * ~ Pope Benedict XVI ~ * ~

Geheral Audience, 22 Feb, 2006

"I decided to consult the Chair of Peter, where that faith is found exalted by the lips of an Apostle; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where once I received the garment of Christ. I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with your beatitude, that is, with the Chair of Peter, for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built" 

~ * ~ St. Jerome ~* ~

Grant, we pray, almighty God, 

that no tempests may disturb us, 

for you have set us fast on the rock 

of the Apostle Peter's confession of faith. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity

 of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 

AMEN.

Saturday, 22 February, 2014
The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast)

Reading

1 Peter 5: 1 - 4
1	So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed.
2	Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly,
3	not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock.
4	And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory.

Psalm

Psalms 23: 1 - 6
1	The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2	he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
3	he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4	Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
5	Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
6	Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Gospel

Matthew 16: 13 - 19
13	Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare'a Philip'pi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?"
14	And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli'jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15	He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
16	Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17	And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
18	And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.
19	I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."