[stephenkhoo]

Scripture Reflections
Friday, 22 February, 2013, Chair of St Peter, The Apostle
BE THE SHEPHERD OF THE FLOCK THAT IS ENTRUSTED TO YOU
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 PETER 5:1-4; MATTHEW 16:13-19

What is the significance of celebrating the feast of the Chair of St Peter? Of course, it is not the chair as such that we are commemorating. “Cathedra” is the Latin word for the seat of the bishop, which is considered the mother Church of the authority. For this reason, the Cathedral is where the Bishop normally celebrates mass. It symbolizes his authority to teach, sanctify and to lead. This feast which we are celebrating is an ancient tradition, started at the end of the 4th Century to thank God for the office given to St Peter and his successors in guiding the Church in faith and preserving the Church in charity and unity.

Through this office given to St Peter and his successors, Christ, the Eternal Shepherd, continues to guide the Church along the way to salvation. Christ Himself promised to give His divine protection to His successor on earth when He declared, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.” Consequently, the Fathers of the Church have always seen the Bishop of Rome as the pillar of truth in safeguarding the deposit of faith. St Jerome wrote, “I decided to consult the chair of Peter, where that faith is found exalted by the lips of an Apostle; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where once you received the garment of Christ. I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with your beatitude, that is, with the chair of Peter for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built! (“Le Lettere,” I, 15,1-2).

We too are shepherds of our flock in our own ways. Anyone who has been given an office or a responsibility, shares in the shepherding role of Christ. Each of us in our capacity has been appointed and given the authority to teach, lead and sanctify. Consequently, we must exercise this office out of love for Christ. Otherwise, we will abuse our authority and power vested in us. Instead of serving those entrusted to us, we deceive ourselves into thinking that the sheep belong to us when in truth they belong to Christ alone, and we are simply His caregivers and caretakers. This is what St Peter reminds us when he wrote, “Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it.”

We must be conscious therefore that whether as superiors, bosses, teachers, parents or guardians, we are exercising this authority in the name of Jesus and for the love of Him in obedience to His will. This must be the fundamental motive in taking up an office, not for self-interest but for the greater good of the sheep. Yes, St Peter warns us that leadership must not be a source for sordid gain, or a springboard for one’s ambition, and it must be done willingly. In this way, any leader must be ever ready to step down when he finds a leader better than he is. If he cannot find one, he must, whilst exercising his office, be on the look-out for a future leader, or mentor those who have the potential to grow into leadership. A good leader is accountable ultimately to the Lord Himself.

Secondly, authority is given so that we can exercise it for greater unity, freedom and liberation. Yes, the purpose of authority is not to enslave people but to set people free and to protect the authentic freedom of those under our care. This explains why St Peter reminds those in authority that they “never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge.” The temptation to use our power to control people and make use of them for our interest is very real. Leadership must be exercised in such a manner that we groom leaders after us and help them to develop their potential. A true leader hardly needs to use his authority to get things done because he leads by example, through persuasion, dialogue and patience. When we have to appeal to our office or power, it is a sign that we have lost credibility with those whom we are leading.

How can one exercise such an authority consciously? Firstly, we must have a personal knowledge of Christ. In the gospel, before Jesus entrusted the office to Peter, He asked him, “But you, who do you say I am?” Then Peter spoke up, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Without this personal discovery and conviction of Jesus as the Christ, we cannot give our life totally to Him. Through a personal knowledge of Christ, we also become identified with Him. Authority comes from our identification with Him in His mission.

Secondly, office comes from grace and election. Leadership is not something we aspire to in life. With regard to Peter’s confession of faith, Jesus made it clear that his realization was due purely to the grace of God. He said, “Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.” Indeed, among the Twelve, Jesus did not choose the more cultured, intelligent and scholarly ones to be His vicar on earth. He did not even choose John, the one whom He loved. Instead, He chose the uncouth, impetuous, uneducated fisherman to be the head of the apostolic college. So too, let us not envy or vie for leadership, especially in the Church. However, when called upon to do so, we must not be selfish or calculative but be generous in responding to the Lord’s call.

Thirdly, we cannot relegate the exercise of authority simply to an office bestowed on us. We must be living examples of love and sacrifice. St Peter exhorted us, “be an example that the whole flock can follow.” One of these sacrifices that we have to bear is to suffer for our flock. And we can be sure that all leaders will have to suffer the anxiety and responsibilities of leadership. This was what Peter shared with the rest of the elders. “I have something to tell your elders: I am elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ.” A true leader, because he wants to do the will of God and be upright in his character, will face opposition and misunderstandings. Only those leaders who find strength in Christ can withstand the rejection of the people whom he loves and serves because he could pray with the psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side. With your rod and your staff you give me courage. You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

How can we find the strength to bear all the sufferings and burdens of leadership? Firstly, we must strengthen our faith in Christ. This will enable those in authority to carry their duties with fidelity and perseverance. This is the other interpretation of the text when Jesus said, “You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.” In this instance, the rock here refers to the faith of Peter in Jesus as the Christ and not just Peter himself. Only when we know Jesus, can we find courage to suffer in doing the right thing as leaders for the good of the people.

Secondly, we must be clear of the vision and the glory ahead of us. St Peter could suffer for Christ and His people only because he was clear of the glory that was to be revealed to him. He began by saying, “with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed” and ended in the same way by reminding them that “when the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.” So, recognizing that our suffering on earth is short but the glory of God in heaven is eternal, should encourage us not to live only for this earth and this life. We must not be shortsighted in living our life on earth. Whilst attending to the challenges of life, we must remember as the psalmist did, that “only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.”

So as we celebrate the Chair of St Peter, let us thank God for the Holy Father and for the bishops that continue to exercise their authority for the good of the Church through their teaching, sanctifying and pastoral leadership. Let us recognize them not merely as mere fallible men, and judge them by human standards, but to see in faith that they have been appointed by the Lord to act on His behalf and therefore to hear them is to hear the Lord. By extension, let us also exercise responsible, faithful and exemplary leadership, since we, too, in different ways, are called to be shepherds and leaders in our own right. May we who represent Christ the Good Shepherd to those entrusted to us, lead them to Him, the Eternal Shepherd of the sheep of the Father.