SAINT OF THE DAY
THURSDAY, 22 FEBRUARY, 2024
THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER
“THE THRONE OF TRUTH”
The “chair” symbolizes the authority of St Peter and his successors who have served the Church of Jesus Christ as the Bishop of Rome (the Pope). The chair is a symbol representing the 2,000-year-old papacy and unity the Pope continues to bring to Catholics around the world. Without such unity the Church would splinter into numerous sects and divisions.
CATHEDRA
So, every year on February 22, the Church celebrates the continuing role of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, beginning with St Peter. The use of the term chair in the feast day comes from the Latin term cathedra, meaning the seat of government.
This object--known as the Cathedra Petri (Latin, "Chair of Peter") is located in the apse of St. Peter's Basilica. It is in the back of the chamber, behind the famous altar, on the far, back wall, below the the well-known, stained glass image depicting the Holy Spirit as a dove
In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks the Twelve Apostles, “Who do you say that I am?”. The only response Jesus acknowledged was that of Peter, who said that Jesus was the son of the living God. Peter is singled out among the apostles to be the rock of Christ's Church on earth, “the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (v. 18).
After the Resurrection, Jesus confirms Peter's primacy over the other apostles as well as authority over His Church. He gives Peter the keys to the kingdom, telling him: to “Feed my lambs…. Feed my sheep” (see Jn 21:15-17), which is meant to be passed on to each of his successors.
THE ROCK
St. Peter quietly begins to take on the role assigned by Christ beginning in the Upper Room. The Church's first ‘seat' was the Upper Room, and it is likely that a special place was reserved for Simon Peter in that room where Mary, Mother of Jesus, also prayed with the disciples.
Peter orchestrated the selection of Matthias to replace Judas, which was the first apostolic succession (Acts 1:15-26). Peter preached on that day of Pentecost and was so inspirational that 3,000 people were baptized after listening to him (Acts 2:41). He was the first apostle to be given the grace to perform a miracle; curing the lame man at “the Beautiful gate” (Acts 3:1-10). King Herod Agrippa had Peter arrested and shackled in prison between two guards, but an “angel of the Lord” saved him (Acts 12:1-10). Peter's decisive speech at the Council of Jerusalem in A.D. 50 resolved the debate there (Acts 15:6-12). That he was singled out for a special role among all the apostles is undisputable.
Around A.D. 34, Peter went to Antioch and established there a seat, or chair, of government. Peter remained there for seven years, and the Church would acknowledge his work in Antioch by establishing the feast of St. Peter's Chair in Antioch, celebrated on February 22 every year.
Next, Peter went to Rome, the center of the civilized world. Peter's efforts there would identify him as the first Bishop of Rome. In A.D. 68, he was crucified by Emperor Nero.
WHAT IS THE ALTAR OF THE CHAIR?
In St. Peter's Basilica is the Altar of the Chair of Peter, completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1666. The altar was designed to enclose the wooden throne of St. Peter and included four gigantic statues of Doctors of the Church: St. Ambrose, St. Anthanasius, St. John Chrysostom and St. Augustine. The alabaster above the altar window shows the Holy Spirit as a dove and casts a stunning light.
Pope Benedict XVI said of the chair: “What does this sculptural composition say to us, this product of Bernini's genius? It represents a vision of the essence of the Church and the place within the Church of the Petrine Magisterium. … The great bronze throne encloses a wooden chair from the ninth century, which was long thought to be St. Peter's own chair and was placed above this monumental altar because of its great symbolic value. It expresses the permanent presence of the apostle in the Magisterium of his successors. St. Peter's chair, we could say, is the throne of truth which takes its origin from Christ's commission after the confession at Caesarea Philippi. The magisterial chair also reminds us of the words spoken to Peter by the Lord during the Last Supper: ‘I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren' (Lk 22:32)” (Homily, Feb. 19, 2012).
THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA STATES OF THE ORIGINAL CHAIR:
The seat is about one foot ten inches above the ground, and two feet eleven and seven-eighths inches wide; the sides are two feet one and one-half inches deep; the height of the back up to the tympanum is three feet five and one-third inches; the entire height of the chair is four feet seven and one-eighth inches.
According to the examination then made by Padre Garucci and Giovanni Battista de Rossi, the oldest portion is a perfectly plain oaken arm-chair with four legs connected by cross-bars.
The wood is much worm-eaten, and pieces have been cut from various spots at different times, evidently for relics.
To the right and left of the seat four strong iron rings, intended for carrying-poles, are set into the legs.
PRAYER: 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.