We just heard this announced by Jesus at the end of today’s Gospel according to St Matthew, as Jesus tells Peter that he will be the rock upon which he builds his Church: “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.”
Today, we celebrate the Chair of Peter. It is not the 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, how Peter became the first Pope. I think back to the time when Pope Francis was elected Pope in 2013. When the news of Benedict's resignation made news, I was approached by a couple of reporters in Tupelo where I served as pastor of St James Catholic Church. I was asked about the impact that the Pope has on our local parishes here in Mississippi. And he indeed has a great impact. Where some Protestant denominations are very loosely structure in terms of hierarchy, our pope is a very active leader who has a very real role in the lives of Catholics.
Just last Saturday here in the Diocese of Jackson, we had a Mass celebration at the Cathedral of St Peter in downtown Jackson to award Bishop Chanche medals to lay people who have made significant contributions to our parishes, our Diocese, and our community in general. We honored Michael, Stacy, and Owen Wolf from here at St Jude with the Bishop Chanche Medals in honor of the first Bishop of the Diocese of Jackson. These medals connect us to our Diocese, to Bishop Kopacz and to the Bishops who have served here, and to our Cathedral of St Peter. May we pray for Pope Francis and Pope emeritus Benedict XVI in a special way today.
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