The Flock of God - Celebrating the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

Cathedra (from Greek) - a chair, esp. one furnished with cushions, a sedan chair; II. a teacher’s or professor’s chair; hence, the office of teacher, and of a bishop (Lewis and Short Latin Dictionary)

Last summer, I had the privilege and joy of joining some amazing Jesuit faculty and students on the History of Rome Italy excursion. We spent one of our days in Vatican City, visiting the Vatican Museums, spending time inside the Basilica of St. Peter, and even climbing down into the Scavi to see the first century, A.D., world in which St. Peter lived. 

If you look directly up from the location of Peter’s burial in the Vatican Scavi, you see the main altar, then Bernini’s baldacchino, and then these words circling Michelangelo’s dome:

TU ES PETRUS ET SUPER HANC PETRAM AEDIFICABO ECCLESIAM MEAM, ET TIBI DABO CLAVES REGNI CAELORUM

“You are “a Rock” and on this rock I will build my church and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.” To Christ, Peter is the “Rock” on which the church is established. The flawed Peter we read about in scriptures, who sank into the water, who was reprimanded for saying foolish things, who denied Christ three times - is also the Called Peter, who immediately dropped his nets to follow Jesus, who ran to the empty tomb and went right in, and who was commissioned three times by Christ to feed the sheep of Christ’s flock. To this man, Christ gives the seat of authority over the Church. Through him, Christ provides a connection between him and humanity.

And yet, Peter’s definition of “authority” is something separate from him. As he says in 1 Peter 5:1-4, the Church is the “flock of God,” not of humankind. The job of leadership in the church is to “be examples” and serve as a model, knowing that there is still a “chief shepherd.” Peter knows that he is the rock on which Christ’s church is built, and his seat of authority is bestowed by Christ. He knows that having a connection to the divine means living out a life of servanthood to each other, to feed Christ’s flock.  

Today is the Feast of the Cathedra Petri*, in which we celebrate this Christ-given authority given to Peter and handed down through the papacy. It’s a reminder that when announcements are made ex cathedra, they are not according to the authority of the one who sits on the chair, but rather by the authority of the office, itself, i.e., the authority bestowed by Christ when he commissioned Peter. 

It is through his connection with Christ that the Pope lives out his calling. May it be so for each one of us, as well.

Author: Laura Hudec, Language Department

*The photo is of the Cathedra Petri, taken by Ryan Zito during our trip last summer.