I had the honor of meeting the saintly Fr. Al Lauer of Cincinnati, Ohio. He allowed me to visit him even though doctors told him to discontinue meeting people because of his terminal cancer. Fr. Al was gracious to me, listened carefully to my concerns, and gave me a plan of action. All the while I listened to him, I noticed how frail he seemed and how weak was his voice. After my session with him I went next door to St. Mary’s Church, where Fr. Al celebrated the noon mass. As he walked out of the sacristy, he began to sing a hymn, with a strong and clear voice. Where did this new strength come from? It is as though he went a transforming when he walked toward the altar.
As a fellow human being, Fr. Al was weak and dying. In his role as priest, however, he was strong a leader. When a priest celebrates Mass, he allows Jesus Christ, the high priest, to take over his body, soul, and spirit. It was no longer Fr. Al Lauer at the altar, it was Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit given him at ordination took over when he said Mass.
Today there is controversy centering around Pope Francis. We remember there is Pope Francis, the man, and Pope Francis as “Chair” of the Church. When he acts as a man, he has a way of getting tangled in political issues and confusing people. As Pope, however, he is empowered to represent Jesus Christ, and allows grace to overtake his own weak nature.
Today we celebrate the feast day of all popes—the Chair of Peter the Apostle. The “Chair” is the authority of Jesus apart from the limitations of the men who sit in it. In the “Chair” of Peter, the Pope represents Jesus, and his personal limitations fade into the background. Today Jesus says: (Matthew 16:13-19)
“And so, I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”
Peter had just declared that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. When he spoke these words, it was not the sinful fisherman from Galilee speaking, but the Holy Spirit speaking through him. Peter was the one person from the Twelve that God chose to proclaim this truth. This prompted Jesus to appoint Peter as leader of the early Church. Peter the fisherman, was sinful and made many mistakes. Peter, the rock, however, was Jesus Christ shepherding his people on earth.
Jesus continues to live on in his Body on earth. His authority continues to be exercised through the Pope—the one who sits in Peter’s chair. Has there ever been a time in history when we’ve needed authority more. Everything is being tossed up for grabs, and even leaders in the Church have been thrown into confusion. What is true and what isn’t? Are we supposed to figure things out ourselves?
We Catholics are blessed to have clear authority and clear teaching. We are blessed to have someone sitting on the Chair of Peter who represents the voice of Jesus Christ to the Church. The “barque” of Peter may be the only ship that survives the storms of our times.
So, we are called to honor and pray for our Pope. And, when he seems to be wandering off course, acting as a fisherman instead of the rock, we pray even harder for him.
“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps 23:1).
