February 22 – Chair of Peter

Site 20: Rome, Italy

Today’s feast is one of the most exciting times to be in Rome.  We celebrate how Christ instituted the Church by passing on His teaching authority to Saint Peter (Matthew 16). Peter is the “rock” Christ says, upon which He builds His Church to carry on the faith ever after Him, and here in Rome stands the world’s largest basilica above the crypt that holds the tomb of our rock, Saint Peter.

Behind the high altar, is the altar cathedra, referred to as such because above it is a larger than life sculpture depicting the chair of the first bishop of Rome, Saint Peter.

This is an older picture, but it’s worth sharing with you since it gives a bit more orientation of the basilica.  You can see how the Altar Cathedra sits behind the main altar, where Mass is being celebrated in this photo.  In the crypt directly below the baldacchino, is the tomb of St. Peter himself.  

1 Peter 5:1-4

 

I exhort the presbyters among you,
as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ
and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Do not lord it over those assigned to you,
but be examples to the flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Mt 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

St. Peter, pray for us!

October 28 – St. Jude, Apostle and Martyr

site 9: Vatican City

But these men revile whatever they do not understand, and by those things they know by instinct as irrational animals do, they are destroyed.  (Jude 1:10)

Aristotle—who most influences Aquinas—explains virtue to be the perfection of man since precisely what makes him man is his rationality—the capacity for which he is confronted with the choice between right and wrong.  St. Jude here, gives us a Biblical source for the virtue Aristotle explained with philosophy.  Man knows instinctively, like an animal, that he is destroyed when he gives in to temptation, writes the apostle.  This depiction of sin illustrates how man descends to a merely animal form of being when he sins because in doing so, he denies his ability to overcome carnal instincts.

After considering the shortcoming it is for us to sin though, Saint Jude reminds us to have hope.  Live up to the goodness for which God made you, he writes, and help those around you to do the same.

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.  And convince some, who doubt; save some, by snatching the out of the fire.  (Jude 1:20-23)

Having walked next to Jesus and died spreading the faith Christ (personally!) taught him, it is incredible to visit St. Jude’s tomb here in Rome.  He really is a gift God gave to us, who points our gaze right back at God—the greatest gift we could receive.  St. Jude is our friend in the faith who reminds us to pray to God, for whom nothing is impossible.  St. Jude’s intercession for people’s impossible petitions are a hope-giving reminder of God’s unfathomable ability to care for all our needs, and indeed, He accepts a fervent prayer.

Altar built on the tomb of St. Jude, St. Peter’s Basilica

Pray More Novenas has has a novena to St. Jude should that be your style.  If you’re not already on the novena bandwagon, I recommend it.  It’s a comforting experience to offer God your petition consistently for nine days, through the hands of someone who is both, with God in heaven, and understands your plight so well.

If you’re feeling amidst a hopeless case, never hesitate to ask Saint Jude to hand your prayers to God.

St. Jude, pray for us!