"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah"
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Search: "The Chair", "Peter in Rome", Peter and the Papacy” and “Papal Infallibility”
One of the most recognized and influential persons in the world is our Holy Father. He alone is the head of the Church here on earth, he is the one who has the same responsibilities placed upon him as Peter did, he is the shepherd of over a billion Catholics, and he is the Vicar of Christ.
Why should we love the Pope? It’s very simple; with Peter there is Christ and the Church. If we want to stay with Christ we must remain in the Church he founded and follow the appointed head of the Church, which is the Pope. If we love Christ, we love the Pope. So to love the Pope is to love Peter, the Church, and thus Christ. “He has an awesome responsibility and we cannot leave him on his own. If we want to be really united to Christ, we have to be united in the first place to the person who takes his place here on earth.”
We see this love for Peter and the Papacy in Acts, “they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall upon them.” [1] Peter had just cured a man just by his shadow earlier through the power of Christ, and they knew the closer they could get to him the closer they would be to Christ.
Haven’t there been bad Popes? Yes, there have been bad popes, just as there have been bad presidents, bad leaders, bad teachers, bad law enforcement officers, etc. There will always be a few people who will be caught up in sin in any profession.. The fact is though out of 265 popes, we can only count on one hand the number of “bad” popes. Also, as awful and sinful as some of those popes were, the Church has never, not once, had to go back and change anything they had done or said when dealing with faith and morals. This shows the power God has in protecting the Church from forces that want to destroy it from the outside, and from within.
Why do we have to listen to an old man in Rome? To listen and to follow the Pope is to listen and follow God. The papacy has real and significant power. The power of the Papacy, rooted in St. Peter, is shown in scripture :
He’s first mentioned (Matt 10:2)
First to elect a new Apostle (Acts 1:15-22)
First to speak at Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36)
He shows his power by punishing Ananias and Sapphira with full authority (Acts 5:1)
Welcomes in the first Gentile in the Church, Cornelius (Acts 10:1)
and presides the first council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:7-10)
Peter obtained all these powers through Christ, and since Christ established Peter as head of His Church, and the Church is to reign until Christ comes again, these powers are passed down to the next pope. Second Vatican Council stresses this point of the power of the Papacy, “This sacred synod, following in the steps of the First Vatican Council, teaches and declares with it that Jesus Christ, the eternal pastor...put Peter at the head of the other apostles, and in him He set up a lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity both of faith and of communion. This teaching concerning the institution, the permanence, the nature and the import of the sacred primacy of the Roman Pontiff and his infallible teaching office the sacred synod proposes anew to be firmly believed by all the faithful.” [2] In other words, we see the person who is appointed to the Chair of Peter, the Papacy, the Head of the Church on earth, as the next in line of Peter, having all power and authority as Peter had.
What burdens does the Pope face?The Pope has the burden of being the shepherd of over a billion souls. He has to follow in the footsteps in some of the greatest men who have ever lived. His mission, for the rest of his life, is to serve Jesus Christ as the head of the Church which Jesus founded, and to be able to lead it for all that believe and adhere to the Church. “May the daily consideration of the heavy burden that weighs upon the Pope and the bishops move you to venerate and love them with real affection, and to help them with your prayers.” [3]
How often do we pray for the Pope and his intentions? At every Mass the Holy Father and the local Bishop is prayed for. In the Morning Offering we remember the intentions of the Holy Father. It is important to think with great affection for our Holy Father, our Papa, during these times and throughout the day when we are able. He is in need of our prayers.
Why should we follow the Pope?“We Catholics should consider that after God and the most Holy Virgin, our Mother, the Holy Father comes next in the hierarchy of love and authority.” [4] We should want to be with Peter because “Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia, ibi Deus.” [5] Translation: Where Peter is, there is the Church, there too is God.
Peter is the head of the flock. When the resurrected Christ came to Peter he instructed him to guide His flock. Without the Pope we would be wandering lost and not being guided.
Our love for the Pope should not be just because of basic affection, his holy example, or because he happens to be likeable. Rather, we should love him because when we see or hear the pope we see and hear Peter, the Vicar of Christ. The Pope is, as Saint Catherine of Siena said, “the sweet Christ on earth”.
[1] Acts 5:15
[2] Lumen gentium, 18
[3] St. Jose Maria Escriva, The Forge, 136
[4] Jose Maria Escriva, The Forge, 135
[5] St. Ambrose, Commentary on Psalm 12, 40, 30