I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19)
Today, we celebrate the Chair of Peter. It is not the actual physical "chair" that we celebrate today, but rather Peter the Apostle and his function within the group of apostles and within the early Church. Perhaps this is a very timely feast that we celebrate today, as we are looking toward the election of a new pope as Benedict XVI steps down at the end of this month.
When the news of Benedict's resignation hit, I was approached by a couple of reporters and asked about the impact that the pope has on our local parishes here in Mississippi. And he indeed has a great impact. Where some Protestant denominations are very loosely structure in terms of hierarchy, our pope is a very active leader who has a very real role in the lives of Catholics.
Today, in our diocese of Jackson, we are having an evening prayer celebration at the Cathedral of St Peter in downtown Jackson to award 10 medals to lay people who have made significant contributions to our diocese. Mary Rutledge, from my former parish in Yazoo City, will be the recipient of one of these medals, and I am in Jackson today for this celebration and to honor her and her years of service in this special way.
May we pray for Pope Benedict XVI in a special way today. May we also pray for his successor and for the process in our Church that will choose the new pope. May God be with us.
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