Monday February 22, 2021 - Chair of Saint Peter - You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church; and the power of Death will not prevail over it - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16, 13-19

Today we celebrate the pulpit of Saint Peter, even in the middle of Lent. It turns us to Christ who founded the Church. The question of Jesus in the Gospel: "Who am I?", Remains relevant for each of us. Could it be that the knowledge we have of Jesus today has remained at the same level as what we knew of Him when we were little. As we grow up, we need to know Him intimately because the more we have an intimate relationship with Him, the more we will get to know Him better. So let's not be satisfied with what people may think and say, but take the trouble to get in more direct contact with Him. In the gospel, it is proven that not everything others can think of is necessarily true, and it is almost impossible to find the truth in it. This is what people say about Jesus: "For some, John the Baptist; for others, Elijah; for still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." We drown in the "hearsay", the "according to such" without ever looking into the real question. But Jesus is not slow to reframe: "And you, what do you say? For you, who am I?" Let us not give anyone the role of determining our relationship with Jesus.

There are twelve apostles, but Peter alone gave the answer about Jesus: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God". It was to no one else but on Peter that Jesus founded his Church. So let's be careful not to make a bad choice. Those who are already in the Church should not leave or rush outside. Thus, Jesus placed a heavy and important burden on Peter and his successors, a charge which is still filled by the Church to this day. But we also have our own responsibility, which we cannot delegate to others in the Church. It is we who are appointed or elected and not the others, so it is our responsibility. Obviously, the help of others is always desired, but they cannot replace us.

So, in this celebration of the Chair of Saint Peter, we will pray for the Church of Christ so that it is not overcome by the forces of evil, especially in the face of rapid progress which seeks to sink Peter's ship. The Church belongs to Christ, and we to ourselves, entrust her to Christ because He never departs from it. The Church is not made by man, but the work of God, otherwise she will easily be destroyed and disintegrated. Let us also remember that the authority which He gave to Peter reverberates up to heaven: "whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in the heavens ". So let us not stop praying for the Church of Christ, it is our duty. Amen.