Human beings have assigned symbolism to objects since our earliest civilizations. Symbols are inherently sacramental; they give to us a concrete and tangible reflection of something immaterial, just as the Sacraments are visible signs of invisible graces. The symbolism of some objects have stood the test of time because they speak of something unique to human nature. One of the clearest examples of this is a chair, a seat, or a throne. In business, we continue to call leaders and executives “chairmen”. In kingdoms that still exist throughout the world, a royal will ascend to his or her “throne”, not because the throne actively imparts authority, but because it symbolizes the authority of that person. Even in our own government, senators and congressmen have chairs for themselves in the Capitol, denoting position or rank. The symbolism of a chair has lasted such a long time in human culture not merely because of tradition, but because authority is an intrinsic part of human expression.

The same symbolism of chair denotes authority within the Catholic Church. Peter is a unique saint: like Paul, we don’t have a day uniquely celebrating the life of Peter as we do the other Apostles and other saints. Instead, we celebrate Peter and Paul together in the Summer, while emphasizing unique elements of who they are to the Church separately. We instead celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, because he is representative of the Church being brought to the peripheries of the world. We instead celebrate the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, because he exercises a unique authoritative role in the Church given to him directly from Christ. That authority is not just in his title as the “rock” of the Church that Christ came to establish; he was handed over the keys to the kingdom of Heaven. Any Christian well-versed in Scripture should read this story from the Gospel of Matthew and automatically apply it to the story from the book of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 22:22 - “I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; what he opens, no one will shut, what he shuts, no one will open.” Isaiah was speaking of Eliakim, royal steward or prime minister to the king Hezekiah. The office of Peter (symbolized by his Chair) was not just for him, just as the keys of the Kingdom of David were not just for Eliakim; it denoted a role that existed to serve the king as long as he reigned. Our King, Jesus Christ, continues his reign, and therefore, he has instructed the successors of Peter to continue their reign as Prime Minister of his Kingdom on earth in the office of the Papacy.

The Chair of Peter was instituted by Christ, but occupied by human beings. Some have been wonderful, some have been awful, and all have been imperfect. But the authoritative office mattered to Christ because he was human, and he wanted us to take authority seriously because we are human, as well. In another point of the Gospel, he speaks to his followers about the Pharisees occupying the “chair of Moses” - though they are wicked hypocrites, Christ implores his followers to remain obedient to them because of their office of authority. He uses the symbol of the Chair of the most significant man of the Jewish faith (and it must be noted, Moses was not their king). The most significant man of the Catholic faith, Peter, was not our king nor our focus of worship, but someone willing to exercise the authority given to him by Christ the King to serve God in humility and love in his humanity. He tells his fellow priests in this passage from Peter’s first epistle to be examples to their flocks. His Chair is not just a symbol of authority, but authentic love expressed through service and received through obedience. Pray for the Pope, that he may continue the example of Peter as he occupies his Chair.

For those Catholics who were born and raised in the Church, many of us can remember the priests we grew up with. These were the men who baptized us, who heard our first confessions, gave us our first Holy Communion, and who we spent every Sunday witnessing up at the altar. In these situations, the priest takes on a uniquely fatherly role; he is someone who even our own fathers would follow, obey, and receive the sacraments from just as we did. Most importantly, these priests were the men who shared with us the practice of the Catholic faith for the first time, which, if we continue to practice into our adulthood, is the greatest gift we can receive. What gives the Catholic Church ultimate authority within Christendom is the fact that we can trace back this fatherly priesthood to the very beginning of Christianity. It all began with our first priest and community father figure, St. Peter.

As the leader of the first Christian community, Peter was a father to many, and those who followed him faithfully accepted his authority in the same way Peter accepted the authority of Christ. One of these figures who we know as a disciple of Peter was a man named Mark. Peter even called him his own son in his first letter. Mark may or may not have been around to witness the public ministry of Christ, but he certainly came to understand Christ’s teachings through Peter. If Mark was only a disciple of Peter and did not witness the life of Christ, then it was Peter who shared with him the details we find in his Gospel. Scholars generally agree that Mark’s Gospel was the first to be written. It is by far the least detailed of the four, but if his discipleship led him to write these words down, then it is the life of Christ according to St. Peter, who would have probably known Christ’s story better than anyone else apart from the Virgin Mary. In this way, Mark exemplifies the Catholics of history: his obedience to Peter gives him a genuine and accurate understanding of Christ’s story and who Christ truly was. Today, Catholics follow the authority of Peter’s successor, the Pope, to understand the past two-thousand years of authentic tradition and scripture and to understand the Truth of Christ and the Church he established. 

Saint Mark the Evangelist allows us to remember how important it is for us to appreciate the fathers of our community. Our priests, bishops, and the Pope have been entrusted by the Holy Spirit to guide us properly in the faith. Our own fathers try to emulate their leadership within our homes, the domestic Church. As obedient followers of Christ, we should take after the example of Mark and listen attentively to the words of those who are guiding us to know Christ. In traditional art, Mark is represented by a winged lion, since his Gospel begins with John the Baptist as a roaring voice in the wilderness. Contrasted with Peter’s warning of the devil in this passage from his first epistle, we can see how to properly act: to boast of our own abilities and accomplishments is to be like a roaring lion looking for something to devour. On the other hand, to declare the glory of God is to be a roaring lion like Mark, sharing the Gospel he received through obedience to those who guided him.