Upon This Rock

Today is the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. A feast that at the present moment is worth some thought. This time next week the chair will be vacant, and no matter how sure I am that the Lord has things under control, I always feel rather bleak and bereft when this happens. It's like a long pause between breathing out and breathing in.

I had a very short time to write this post this morning and ended up spending most of it trying to find out something about this chair.

I wanted to know if Peter was really supposed to have sat in it, and indeed he was. You can find out more about it at New Advent.

Pope St. Leo the great says in the Office of Readings today: 

Out of the whole world one man, Peter, is chosen to preside at the calling of all nations, and to be set over all the apostles and all the fathers of the Church. Though there are in God’s people many shepherds, Peter is thus appointed to rule in his own person those whom Christ also rules as the original ruler. Beloved, how great and wonderful is this sharing of his power that God in his goodness has given to this man. Whatever Christ has willed to be shared in common by Peter and the other leaders of the Church, it is only through Peter that he has given to others what he has not refused to bestow on them.

And the closing prayer for the Office of Readings:

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that no tempests may disturb us, 
for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

AMDG