The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast)

St. Peter the Apostle, to whom the Lord said, 

“You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.”

The feast of the Chair of Saint Peter is where the Church celebrates the papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. St. Peter's original name was Simon, the teaching authority - the Magesterium of the Vicar of Christ who occupies the throne of Saint Peter. The Catechism teaches that "it is the Magesterium's task to preserve God's people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of possibility of professing the true faith without error" so that "the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. (CCC 890). Saint Peter first established Christianity in Antioch, then to Rome.

The chair of Saint Peter, literally, is the fixed seat of the supreme pontiff and the bishops, which is permanently placed in the mother church of the diocese (hence its name of “cathedral” after “cathedra” the chair) and is the symbol of the bishop and his ordinary magisterium in the local church. The chair of St. Peter indicates his position in the apostolic college, established by the will of Jesus, who assigned the task of “feeding” the flock, that is to lead the new People of God, the Church.

The Chair is about four feet seven inches high, 3 feet wide with the seat at one foot ten inches above the ground.

Friday, February 22, 2013
The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast)

First 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."