By Mel Jasmin
On February 22, we celebrate the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, the Apostle. Could you believe that one of the feasts in the Catholic Church is dedicated to an actual, physical chair?
Yes! At first, I myself couldn’t believe that we are celebrating a feast over a chair. What is so special about this Chair of Saint Peter that it is included in the holy feasts of the Catholic Church? Well, we do not celebrate the feast of the physical chair but our fidelity to the Church through Christ’s vicar, the prince of the apostles, servants of the servants of God, the Bishop of Rome, the primate of Italy, or we simply called the “pope”.
When we celebrate this feast, we move beyond the physical but to the symbolic representation which is the office or leadership given by Christ to Peter, as the first pope and head of the Catholic Church. We should remember and profess our loyalty over this chair and to the person seated on the same chair.Jya
Today we remember the words of the Lord Himself, establishing and entrusting the Church to St. Peter, whose name means the ‘Rock’ so that the Church He has established may be built upon the firm foundation of the Rock of faith that is St. Peter, and assisted with the strength of the pillars of the faith of the Apostles. Because of this, the Church is united to the Lord, the Chief Shepherd of all, the Good Shepherd, through the many shepherds whom He had called and appointed to lead and guide His people, His flock, that is the Apostles and their successors.
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