Saturday, Feb. 22, is the Feast of the Chair of Peter. It may seem strange to have a feast celebrating an article of furniture until we consider the layers of meaning surrounding this particular chair and its most notable occupant.

In the gospels, Peter is a fascinating character. An ordinary fisherman rather than a scholar of the law, Jesus called Peter and his fellow fishermen to follow him. When the Lord tells him to put out to the deep and set the nets, Peter objects at first but then obeys and experiences an abundant catch. He then expresses great humility, "Lord depart from me for I am a sinful man." Finally, along with his fellow fishermen, he abandons his former life to follow the Lord (Lk. 5:1-11).

The effect of the person of Jesus upon Peter is dramatic and this effect will continue throughout the period of the Lord's ministry. In one famous exchange, Jesus will challenge Peter and then entrust to him the care of the Church: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church" (Mt. 16:8). The Lord's trust in Peter is surprising when you consider that Peter will deny Him three times. And yet even there, it is the person of the Lord and His loving gaze that will shake Peter out of his fear and turn him back to the grace and mercy of the Lord (Lk. 22:61).

The transforming effect of the personal encounter with the Lord continues after the death and resurrection. By the gift of the Spirit, Peter will go from a simple fisherman to a powerful and insightful herald of the gospel. No longer paralyzed by fear, he will courageously speak the good news and exercise the ministry that Jesus entrusted to him -- even to the point of his own martyrdom in the city of Rome.

It is this proclaiming and teaching role that brings us to that chair. In the ancient world, teachers sat down to teach. You can see this at work in the gospel when Jesus Himself "sits down" on the mountainside and teaches. While Peter spent much of his own ministry in Judea and Galilee, circumstances will bring him to Rome, where he will evangelize and lead that fledgling community as its shepherd until his death -- a death that will itself be the most powerful kind of teaching.

As the home to Peter and his successors, Rome has become the fulcrum of the universality and unity of the Church. His "chair" becomes the symbol of that shepherding authority and the symbol of the office that has been occupied ever since by the Popes who are poetically called "Peter." In fact there is an old expression, "where Peter is, there is the Church."

In St. Peter's Basilica where the bones of Peter are interred deep beneath the high altar, there is an ancient statue of Peter seated in his chair. Over the centuries, the statue's foot has been worn smooth by the touch of countless pilgrims. In the back of St. Peter's, there is the "Altar of the Chair," where a great statue of a chair is said to contain the remains of Peter's original chair.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Chair of Peter, we give thanks for the ministry of the Holy Fathers across the generations. We have had martyr Popes, warrior Popes, scholar Popes, saintly Popes, Popes of every kind. And through every kind of challenge, the communion of the Church has survived by our holding to the men who are our center, our "rock."

I will give thanks Saturday for the ministry of Pope Francis and his own humble and compassionate teaching. Like Peter, Pope Francis points us towards the Lord Jesus and His saving grace. Particularly in this Jubilee year, the Holy Father has tirelessly summoned us to live in the hope and joy of the gospel. May the Lord grant Pope Francis good health, strength, and serenity for his ministry of witness and communion. Long may he occupy the Chair of Peter!



- Archbishop Richard G. Henning is the Archbishop of Boston