Today’s feast in the Roman Catholic Church is a deeply symbolic one. We celebrate not a person but a symbol. It’s the feast of “the Chair of Peter.” It doesn’t mean we are reminded of a piece of furniture, beautiful as it may be, and not really even the name of the one person that it is named for, St. Peter. Rather, the Chair of Peter stands for the individuals – some holy and some less so – who have occupied the position of leader in Christendom (and later Catholicism) throughout the centuries since the designation of Peter by Jesus as the leader of his “flock” (and, by extension, those who lead dioceses around the world).
As I was reading again about the significance of this feast which spans over 2,000 years, I thought about that symbolism and the importance of prepositions in definitions. What I mean is the difference of over and for in this case. The Chair of Peter is a symbol of the authority of the leader of the universal Catholic Church, i.e. Pope Francis at present. He is quite clear in his understanding, it seems, that his authority is for church members around the world rather than over all of us. It is for our benefit that he speaks and for the good of the world as teacher that he proclaims.
As is always the case, his leadership is too progressive for some and too traditional for others. What is clear, however, is his humility and his joyful love for people. So leaving personality and politics aside for a moment, today we – and others who appreciate longevity – can celebrate that the Catholic Church has endured for two millennia because of and sometimes in spite of the person who sits in the Chair of Peter.
Often when I open the USCCB website where I find the lectionary readings for the day there is a line that jumps out from the page and calls for my attention. Today I didn’t have to look too deeply as it was already italicized. The sentence from chapter 12 of Matthew’s gospel has God saying, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” I thought immediately of Pope Francis and the focus early in his pontificate which has continued unabated. He even wrote a more than one book about mercy so it’s very easy to quote him on the subject. Here is something from his homily in 2013 on Divine Mercy Sunday that reminds us of the fact that even the closest friends of Jesus needed mercy for their failings – and they got it!
It seems beyond human capacity that a world of several billion persons could come together under one ruler. There are so many countervailing factors. Just think about the diversity of languages or food choices, religious beliefs and so much more. That said, I think of efforts being made in spiritual circles to appreciate the values and practices of others that are birthing new hope for finding commonality that will lead at least to peaceful co-existence.
I remember the day, early in his papacy, that Pope Francis said, “I am a sinner” in public. The quote, as we say now, “went viral.” It’s rare to have a public figure admit during an interview or a widely attended speech that s/he has imperfections. We all know that none of us is perfect but admitting it to the world – especially using the word sin to describe our actions – is not a common practice. At first I was dismayed about his admission because I think that religious people tend to focus more on sin than on giftedness and good deeds. I grabbed onto Barbra Streisand’s line that “there are no mistakes, just lessons to be learned” and used it to talk about sin from that perspective. I still think we either overplay our imperfections sometimes or try to hide them by prevaricating (i.e. “skirting around the truth or delaying giving an answer, especially to avoid telling the whole truth”) but being able to follow the Pope’s example can be very freeing. If we are honest enough to offer our true selves to others we may find that we are accepted in spite of ourselves because nobody else is perfect either!
In St. Paul’s first letter to Timothy, his young protégé, he urges the importance of prayer as a constant in life. I was struck this morning with many questions when I read the following:
The weekend just past was for me a time of great blessings. On Friday we welcomed a group of people – mostly new to us – who came for a workshop offered by our friend, Brigitte, here at our home. I met one of our guests, Patty, at the bus station. Patty lives in Manhattan and as we fell into easy conversation, I began to see our small town through her big city eyes. She was very interested in everything. From all reports, everyone at the workshop came and/or left very happy at all they found here. I was on the road, however, by 9:00 Saturday morning.
I’ve thought and talked a lot about mercy, especially since I came to understand that it has more to do with love than with pity. At the conclusion of the “Year of Mercy” declared by Pope Francis, it was suggested that we continue to keep that virtue front and center in our lives. Not a bad idea, it seems, in our broken, frustrating world as we attempt to maintain equilibrium and good faith each day.