Posted by The WORD in other words (2014) by Fr Reynaldo Jimenez SVD – Divine Word College of Laoag
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
Ratatouille is an animated movie about a rat named Remy that dreamt of becoming a great chef like his idol, the great French chef, Gusteau. It was the food critic Ego who extolled Remy saying, “Not everybody can become great chefs but great chefs can come from anywhere.”
The Gospel centers on Peter, a humble fisherman who was chosen by Jesus to lead his church. Just like Remy in the movie, Peter came from the humblest of beginnings and was destined for the greatest responsibility, to be bishop of Rome.
On 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict announced his (effective 28 February 2013) resignation. The Church has experienced a sort of “crisis” as a result of Peter’s successor resignation. This unexpected move, resorted to just three times in the 2000 years of the Papacy, caught most Catholics in the world by surprise! But the chair of Peter, as manifested by the universal care and concern shown by majority of people has all the more shown not only the relevance of the Papacy but its role as “beacon of hope, light and love” the world sorely needs.
We too are tasked to be “beacons of hope, light and love” in our own small way. The Church as the people of God remains strong and relevant in a world in search of meaning.
