DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL ST PETER – THE FIRST POPE

DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL

ST PETER – THE FIRST POPE



                            Rembrandt, "St Peter the Apostle kneeling" (1631)

Jesus said to them: “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men”. Then they abandoned their nets and followed Him.” Mark 1: 17-18.
The Apostles were given substantial powers by Christ, including:
The power and the right to consecrate the bread and wine in the celebration of the Eucharist. No person other than a legitimately ordained bishop or priest has this right, or power, to consecrate the Eucharist.
The ability to pass on their office, (Apostolic succession); This is presupposed by the succession instituted by the Apostles in Acts I.
The third power given to the Apostles is recorded in John 20:22-23:
“With that he breathed on them and said, “Receive you the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them they are not forgiven.”
Christ expressly delegated the power to forgive sins to the Apostles as priests, in the shoes of Christ Himself. Before he delegated the power, however, He breathed on them, imbuing them with the Holy Spirit – creating His living Church through the Apostles. Because of the authority given to the priests through Christ’s creation of the mystical body of the Church, when we participate in confession, the voice of forgiveness of our sins is that of Christ.
These were powers that were given to the Apostles – the first bishops of Christ’s Church. There was one person, however, to whom pre-eminent powers were given.
“’But what about you?’ He asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jona (Simon son of John), for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’” (Mt 16: 13-20)
Peter was singled out for special authority. The change of name is significant – denoting a change in role and character; “Peter” is the English translation. In the original Aramaic the word is “Kepha”, meaning “Rock”. The promises were given to Peter in the second person singular – specific to Peter alone. The Church was built on Peter as the foundation – the ‘Rock’.
Peter was explicitly promised by Christ that the gates of hell will not overcome his Church. The fact that Jesus gives Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven symbolizes Peter’s power to rule, as well as intergenerational succession – keys denote the office, the ruler of the new Israel under the king alone (Jesus Christ).
“Jesus made Peter the earthly leader of his Church. Because Scripture calls the Church a family, we can call Peter and his successors the spiritual fathers of God’s family on earth. Peter could be said to be the new, earthly high priest of the new Israel. With the giving of the keys, a new authority structure is instituted for the people of God. As in Isaiah, there occasionally will be unworthy people in the office, in possession of those keys, but the position is greater and more permanent than any one person. The office will survive and continue.”
Scott Hahn, “Born Fundamentalist, Born again Catholic”
Image: Getty Image

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