The Principal Servant!

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter!

1 Pet 5:1-4; Mt 16:13-19

Today’s feast commemorates Peter’s appointment as the servant leader of the universal Church founded by Jesus Christ. 

Today’s Gospel highlights the greatness of Peter’s leadership of the Church as pronounced by Jesus himself. Upon Peter’s revelation of Jesus’ Messianic identity, Jesus refers to Peter as the rock upon which he will build his Church. Peter will be given the keys to the Kingdom, and he will have complete authority over heaven and earth.

Though the origin of the feast could be traced to the fourth century Rome, we understand that the supremacy of St. Peter and his successors was celebrated from the moment Jesus entrusted him with his unique mission to be the leader and guardian of his Church. 

The celebration of the feast calls for our understanding that the ‘Chair’ (Cathedra) does not refer to the furniture but the occupant. In that sense, Peter and his successors to this day have been made sharers of the mission of Christ himself. As such, our unity with the ‘occupant of the Chair of St. Peter’ ensures our unity with Christ himself, Who governs through him. 

More importantly, the discussion on the glory of the ‘Chair’ should not take our eyes away from the task that Peter was entrusted with. The leadership of Peter was primarily pastoral in content. 

Though one can be elated by Jesus’ words of praise for Peter in today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds Peter that his greatness consists in ‘feeding his sheep’ (Jn 21: 15-17), which is repeated thrice for its significance, emphasis, and obligation. Accordingly, Peter justified his leadership through his tireless mission of evangelization. Above all, the same Peter who denied the passion and death of Jesus glorified God through his own martyrdom. On Vatican Hill, in Rome, during the reign of Nero, Peter did glorify his Lord with a martyr’s death. 

Walking in the footsteps of his Master, Peter found that being a leader is being the principal servant of all. 

Jesus proved it through his death. Peter imitated his Master’s example. 

Let us pray that we may lead God’s people through our capacity to love and serve. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar