We hear Jesus tell Peter in the Gospel today: “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.” (Matthew 16:19)
Today, we celebrate the Chair of Peter. It is not an actual physical "chair" that we celebrate today, but rather Peter the Apostle and his function within the group of apostles and within the early Church. We honor all the men who have served in the Chair of Peter throughout history, remembering in particular Pope Francis, our current pope, in our prayers today.
I had not been pastor of St James’ Catholic Church in Tupelo for very long when the news of Pope Benedict's resignation hit. I was approached by a couple of reporters and asked about the impact that the pope has on our local parishes here in Mississippi. Indeed, the pope has a great impact. While some Protestant denominations are very loosely structured in terms of hierarchy, our pope is a very active leader who has a very real role in the lives of Catholics, even in a place like Mississippi that is located so far away from Rome.
Tomorrow, in our Diocese of Jackson, we are having an afternoon celebration at the Cathedral of St Peter in downtown Jackson to award the Bishop Chance medals to lay people who have made significant contributions to our diocese. Kathleen Edwards and Dominic Lopez from St Jude will be two of the recipients of these medals this year. It always touches my heart greatly to have parishioners recognized in this manner. I give thanks to God for all of our wonderful St Jude parishioners who contribute in so many ways to our parish and to our universal Church.
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