Congratulations to all those who belong to the Ordinariate of the Chair of Peter a fine feast day.
Today is an opportunity to reflect of the will of the Savior about a necessary element for His Church: the Petrine Ministry.
Once upon a time, there were two feasts of Peter’s cathedra, chair, his official role as teacher who strengthens the brethren, etc.
On 18 January we would celebrate Peter’s cathedra in Rome.
On 22 February we would celebrated Peter’s cathedra in Antioch.
Peter went to Antioch, a key city in the East, and there had a disagreement with Paul. Peter spent about 7 years in Antioch, guiding the church as its bishop, before he pulled up stakes, and… I guess… cathedra… and went to Rome. He wouldn’t have taken a literal chair, but he did take his office and authority, given to him by Christ. He had this office and authority before he went to Antioch, while he was at Antioch, when he left Antioch, when he got to Rome and when he died in Rome.
Because the Petrine Ministry is necessary for the Church, Christ made it obviously a “hereditary” office, just as the Davidic stewards enjoyed with the conferral of keys. After Peter, another man held the Petrine Ministry and so on down to our day. That would have happened whether Peter had stayed in Jerusalem, stayed in Antioch, or had gone to Luoyang in China of the Han Dynasty.
ASIDE: Based on Peter’s move from Antioch to Rome, there are those who say that there is nothing which absolutely connects being the Successor of Peter with being Bishop of Rome. He was, after all, The Rock, when he was in Antioch. He was Vicar of Christ before he went to Antioch. He was Vicar of Christ when he was between Antioch and Rome. For all practical purposes Petrine Ministry and office of Bishop of Rome now seem to be fused together. Most authors think they are inseparable. But… they weren’t, unless one thinks that Christ gave Peter His authority in view of Peter’s future in Rome. Possible, but there’s no Biblical evidence for that. On the surface, it looks like one could be Successor of Peter (who can be anywhere) and someone else Bishop of Rome (who should be in Rome). The majority of theologians would, today, say that the Petrine Ministry, being Vicar of Christ, and being Bishop of Rome are now inseparable by the fact that Peter died in Rome. It is not entirely clear to me how his death “sealed the deal”, as it were.
However, were we to consider the implications of Peter being Vicar of Christ before getting either to Antioch or Rome, one supposes that, in time of need, some Successor of Peter could move his see to, say, Texas.
In any event, that’s an interesting thing to reflect on today when we have Antioch and Rome together on one day instead of two.
Let’s see the Novus and Vetus Ordo Collect for the feast.
COLLECT (NOVUS):
Praesta, quaesumus, omnipotens Deus,
ut nullis nos permittas perturbationibus concuti,
quos in apostolicae confessionis petra solidasti.
There is nothing especially difficult about the grammar and vocabulary of this prayer, though it is theologically profound. NB: the solidasti is really solidavisti, a “syncopated” form.
I’m sure some of you can come up with your smooth but accurate versions.
COLLECT (VETUS):
Deus, qui beato Petro Apostolo tuo, collatis clavibus regni coelestis, ligandi atque solvendi pontificium traditisti: concede; ut, intercessionis eius auxilio, a peccatorum nostrorum nexibus liberemur.
O God, who, having committed to Your Apostle blessed Peter the keys of the heavenly kingdom, bestowed the pontifical office of binding and loosing; grant that, by the help of his intercession, we may be delivered from the bonds of our sins.
Whereas the Novus emphasizes we don’t have to worry about the solidity of the Catholic and Apostolic Faith because of the graces given to Peter and His successors … though is sure doesn’t see that way occasionally … the older prayer concerns the power of bishops and priests to forgive sins. Come to think of it, even if we didn’t pay a lot of attention to what certain pontiffs said and did, we would be hard pressed to be at ease without the ability to make a good confession. If there were a choice between knowing all the stuff that goes on with popes and prelates, and the opportunity of having a good and available confessor around… I know which I would choose.
As a bonus… here are a few photos of St. Peter’s shot some years ago on this Feast of the Cathedra of St. Peter.
It is pretty dark in the Basilica, so steady is the name of the game. Here is a shot through the columns over the main altar toward the apse, where you can see the candles arrayed around the magnificent bronze by Bernini.
A closer view.
The bronze Cathedra is decorated with lighted candles only once a year, today.
The black bronze statue of St. Peter attributed to the marvelous Arnulfo di Cambio was always dressed up in his cope and tiara, with a ring on his finger and pectoral Cross on two days, 29 June and today. Then the modernists in the Fabrica started fooling around. Too triumphalistic. They started cutting out elements. But all of them were back the day I shot these except for the griccia alb, which I can live without I guess. I don’t know if it is back this year or not.
And ….
GO TO CONFESSION!
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