Chair of St.Peter, Monday – 22nd February 2021 — Gospel: Matthew 16,13-19
Keys of Authority
Celebrating the feast of the Chair of St.Peter expresses our loyalty to the Pope as head of the Church. The Lord had established His firm foundation on St.Peter, who was a simple man with wavering faith, but whom God had affirmed and strengthened, and became the solid foundation of the Church. Even though his faith was weak, wavering, unsteady and shaken at many times. God saw in St.Peter, a heart and soul filled with genuine love and dedication. Peter’s confession is the faith of the primitive Christian community. How did this confession differ from others? “You are Christ, the Son of the living God” is a sign of full acceptance and also entirely unique relationship of Jesus with the Father. Jesus explicitly asked for this confession. It was not an emotional response from people who had seen a miracle, but the studied and sincere statement of a man who had been taught by God. After this response, Jesus knew that Peter could now be led into new steps of deeper truth and service. Therefore He offered to him the “keys of the kingdom”, which is a badge of authority (Is 22,15.22; Lk 11,52). We use keys to open doors. Peter was given the privilege of opening the door of faith to the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2), to the Samaritans (Acts 8,14ff), and to the Gentiles (Acts 10).
