The Rock and the Shepherd: A Reflection on the Feast of St. Peter's Chair
February 22, 2025 - Saturday, Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
1 Peter 5:1-4; Psalm 23; Matt. 16:13-19
The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter celebrates the authority and leadership bestowed upon the Apostle Peter by Jesus Christ and the unity of the Church. The liturgy of the Word emphasize the foundation of the Church upon Peter's proclamation of faith in Jesus and the importance of sheperding the Church.
In 1 Peter 5:1-4, Peter, writing to the early Christian communities, highlights the pastoral responsibility of leaders within the Church. He encourages them to shepherd the flock with humility, not as domineering overlords but as examples. This echoes the imagery found in Psalm 23, often referred to as the "Shepherd's Psalm," where the Lord is portrayed as the caring and protective shepherd guiding His flock.
Today's Gospel took place in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi in early autumn probably on the day of Atonement when Caiaphas, appointed by the Romans as the high priest, was about to pronounce the Holy Name of God - the only day in the year he could do it. There was a massive rock formation and an entrance to a cave the ancient called the gate to the land of the netherworld - Hades. In that place, Jesus asks his disciples two questions: "Who do people say that the Son of Man is" (Matt. 16:13)? "And who do you say that I am" (Matt. 16:15)?
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is" (Matt. 16:13)? Public opinion falls short of grasping the real identity of Jesus (Matt. 16:14). Today, we often read and hear that Jesus was a great teacher of morality, political revolutionary, or religious reformer. "And who do you say that I am" (Matt. 16:15)? Peter alone answers this question and he gets it right: "You are Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Matt. 16:16).
"Blessed are you Simon, Son of Jona" (Matt. 16:17). The name "Simon" means "listen" and the greatest commandment begins with: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). Saint Peter did not come to this confession of faith by deduction but by listening to the voice of the Father. "For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 16:17). Since no one knows the Son except the Father (Matt. 11:27), so only the Father could reveal to the apostle the true identity of his Son.
Peter's parents gave him the name Simon, and Jesus gave him a new name - Rock (Matt. 16:18). A change of name indicates a change of destiny. Peter is the Rock of faith on which Jesus would build his Church - the community of living stones who confess Jesus' Holy Name. Jesus will also entrust to him the "highest office" in the kingdom of heaven symbolized by the keys of grace. Finally, we hear that the Church will never go through the gates of Hades to the netherworld (Matt. 16:18-19) - the Bride of Christ shall live forever (Rev. 21:9-11).