you are peter (take 2)...

(because I forgot a 2 when referencing Isaiah 22:22)

...and upon this rock I will build my church.

Sounds clear, but alas pride knows no bounds. Martin Luther came along in 1517 and muddied the water, leading people to believe that they could be a church onto themselves. The result is many...many...many more denominations than you see here, approximately 34,000 in all. 34,000 denominations, all claiming they have the way, most claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, thus God. God is perfect, thus incapable of contradicting Himself. Many of the 34,000+ denominations claim to be led by the Holy Spirit, yet have doctrines that contradict each other. How then can they all be led by the Holy Spirit?

The Catholic Church has three sources of authority: sacred scripture (the bible), sacred tradition (taught by the apostles, taught to them by Jesus), and the magisterium of the church (the chair of Peter, the papacy). Today is the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, and in light of the fact that it will soon be vacated due to Pope Benedict XVI's retirement I thought this topic appropriate.

Moses spent 40 days with God on Mount Sinai, and came down with three sources of authority: the written word (ten commandments), oral traditions (taught to him by God), and authority (Exodus 18:13-20). Jesus later acknowledged this saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example." (Matthew 23:2-3) Even though the scribes and Pharisees did not live as they preached...they sat in the chair of Moses, thus had teaching authority.

Things weren't going well (to sum up A LOT of history), so God sent His Son, Jesus, to teach and save the world, Jews and Gentiles. The chair of Moses then became the Chair of Peter. "...Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 16:17-19)

During the first century "keys" represented authority. Kings of that day entrusted the keys to the city/treasure to a royal steward. Jesus spoke with an understanding of tradition and history; Isaiah 22:22 references the keys to the house of David. Mary was told that her Son would sit on the throne of David, and that her son would be King. Before the King (Jesus) left, he entrusted the keys of His kingdom to the royal steward (Peter).

In 2000+ years, there have been 265 popes. It is the oldest office in the world. Empires have risen and fallen; Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, British, America is falling, next will likely be China...yet the Catholic church stands and the Chair of Peter is filled, because "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."