About Today for

February 22

The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle

Feast

“‘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.’ Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah,” (Mt. 16:17-19). [1]

Today we celebrate the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. The celebration commemorates the years St. Peter served as the bishop of Rome. As Pope John Paul II explained, “It sheds light on the special ministry of strengthening and guiding the Church in the unity of the faith which the Lord entrusted to the Head of the Apostles.” Today we are encouraged to pray that the Church in all its different “cultures, languages, and traditions will be unanimous in believing and professing the truths of faith and morals.” This mystery of unity, he explains, comes from “fixing our gaze on Christ.” [2][3]

Written by Sarah Ciotti
Reviewed by Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD
[1] Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition© 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
[2] John Paul II, Angelus, February 22, 2004.
[3] Fr. Hugh Feiss, OSB, STD, The Martyrology of the Monastery of the Ascension, 2008.