Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Do you know Jesus Christ well enough to declare to Him: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God”? This declaration should be taken more seriously than any other we ever proclaim in our lives. And this is what exactly what Saint Peter declares in today’s Gospel. As the Church, on this day, celebrates the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, it is good that we reflect on this fundamental truth, especially during this season of Lent.
Psalm 23 is our responsorial today. How beloved is this psalm and how often is this part of our loved ones’ funeral services in the Church. “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” What does this mean to me personally? Is this merely a common scriptural comfort in my time of grief and loss? Is this only a chant so familiar that it eases the pain at a particularly painful time? The truth is, this psalm declares exactly what Saint Peter declared in Matthew’s Gospel this day.
When I recite Psalm 23, in whatever circumstance, I am saying I KNOW YOU. I know ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God’ (Mt 16:16). I am saying that I know, in whatever darkness I may be walking through, you are my Savior. I am saying that no matter the evil before me, I know you are at my side and give me courage. I am saying that I truly believe that you have anointed me and for all the days of my life only goodness and kindness are following me, and that I will dwell in your house forever. It is not, by any means a banal or trite recitation of familiar words. Let us THINK. Let us PONDER. Let us ATTEND.
Our hearts may be shrunken, hardened or closed in some sense because of grievous harm and pain but, nevertheless, we are still made for love. We are still made to be open to God and others. This day, may we pray for openness. May we pray that, no matter the reason our hearts have closed in upon themselves, we may accept the only remedy for our pain or sorrow or agony—and that is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. Amen
-- Gail Lyman