Word to the Wise
Thursday, February 22, 2024 - Feb. 22 - The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle
[1 Pet 5:1-4 and Matt 16:13-19]"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. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." [Matthew]
According to one source I checked, this feast day originated in an early Roman Christian version of All Souls Day, which included their memory of Sts. Peter and Paul. When their personal feast day was moved to June 29th, the idea was expanded to include anyone who had served in the role of Peter, the leader of the Church. So, today we honor a long list of saints and scoundrels who have served as Pope. Even a superficial study of papal history will more than justify the words "saints and scoundrels!" The recent tendency to canonize deceased popes (Pius X, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II) is, I'm guessing, a way of saying, "You're a saint for doing this!!!"
Nevertheless, the job itself and the reason for its existence deserve some consideration so we can better understand the reason we honor anybody who takes on the responsibility. The pope is not simply the spiritual and doctrinal leader of the Church, he is also a "head of state" - the Vatican City State - which is the last shred of what were the Papal States in Italy. The Dominican nuns here at the Monastery of the Infant Jesus in Lufkin, TX, where I serve as chaplain, receive the official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, and I get to see it. The round of audiences, decisions, etc. etc. is exhausting to read, let alone to do. I think we could include on the list for today the current occupant of the "Chair" and not require him to be dead! It's never too early to say "Thank you!" AMEN