22 Chair 2016 - not bored of the chair

[ Today's Readings ]

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.

In a special way, our heavenly Father reveals truth to Peter and to his successors. It isn't just cleverness and intelligence. Especially with Peter we see that it is more than what flesh and blood reveal. It is the guidance of the Holy Spirit that enables Peter to proclaim, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." That same Spirit fills every person who succeeds him on the Chair of Peter. It is that Chair which we celebrate today.

The Chair of Moses had authority enough that the obedience of the people was required.

The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do (see Matthew 23:2-3).

How much more than, should we be thankful for the Chair of Peter which assures us of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We will always have a voice to point us to Christ and to unmask pretenders and liars.

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son (see First John 2:22).

We are given the Chair of Peter as a great gift. It is not meant to be an imposition. In fact it is meant to give clarity to truths which we discover within our own hearts. It is meant to point to the common purpose and destiny that we share as humans. It is the greatest safeguard against failing to find this fulfillment.

That is why we regard the one who sits on the chair not as so much as a king, much less a tyrant, but rather as a shepherd and a servant.

Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.

Jesus, help us to learn to rely more and more on the shepherds you give to your Church. Through them you want to spread a table before us, filled with the banquet of the Eucharist. Through them you want to anoint us with the oil of gladness who is the Holy Spirit. Through them you keep us safe from error and show us the path to eternal life with you.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

Makes us docile, LORD! But do not only make us docile. We have great resources for growth and life in the teachings of our shepherds. Help us to put it all to good use.