The first time anyone walks into the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican they are likely overwhelmed by what they see. They may find themselves at a loss for appropriate words to describe the splendor, the cavernous dimensions, the priceless works of art, the swirl of immense marble statuary, and the blend of proportion and color. I well recall that moment and others over the years when my eyes darted and my thoughts raced wanting to pinch myself and absorb such magnificent architecture.
The Basilica of St. Peter is one of the great wonders of the architectural world. Built upon the remains of the Basilica constructed by Emperor Constantine, which stood there for over one thousand years, it rises enormous in proportions. Since 1626, when it was formally consecrated, it has welcomed millions who come to pray, study, and celebrate with the successor of St. Peter, the Pope or simply to come on pilgrimage and wander through the vast interior as tourist with camera in hand.
While its history of construction, architecture, financial backing and its principal players in Popes and artists is both an inspiration and a scandal, there it stands as the most recognizable sign of the Catholic Church.
Its floor covers 3.7 acres, the façade is 375 feet wide and 167 ft tall, the interior of the Basilica is 451 ft wide by 613 ft long, the height of the famed dome, partially designed by the inspired genius Michelangelo, from the floor to the cross on its top is 452 ft. Inlaid with mosaic lettering on the interior base of the dome, in Latin and Greek, are the words of the Gospel for this Solemn Feast (Mt. 16: 13-19): “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.” Those letters are each at least twelve feet high. It is sensory overload to the maximum and can leave one speechless to describe adequately: Beautiful? Magnificent? Awesome? Overwhelming? Unbelievable? Take your choice.
However, as grand and impressive as these great temples to God are the Church is not about buildings. The Church is about the message of salvation wrought through the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.
The first time I visited St. Peter’s I was a senior in high school and was part of a tour group with other students. I could not help but wonder what the unlearned, impulsive, but oddly loveable Galilean fisherman named Simon, whose name was later changed by Jesus to “Rock” (Petra), would think of all this. The bones of this fisherman made Shepherd lie buried beneath the main altar of this grand Basilica which bears his name. It is built upon the spot of an ancient Roman cemetery where Peter was crucified and then buried. We have no idea what he would think of all this, of course, but my sense is that he likely never imagined such splendor and may be both scandalized and enamored by it all. Yet, history and the Holy Spirit has made Peter of Galilee one of the most pivotal figures in human history.
The New Testament is clear about Peter’s place as leader among the twelve Apostles. Chosen by Jesus in special relationship with him, he shared in the Transfiguration with James and John, the raising of a dead child to life and Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and was a witness to the risen Christ. He was gathered with his brother Apostles at the dramatic moment of wind and fire when the Holy Spirit descended on Peter and the others in the upper room: Acts 2: 1-13.
Peter embraced Jesus as friend and Lord but still remained somewhat tentative over his own place and in the face of challenge, he withered when questioned by a woman on the night of Jesus’ arrest – “I don’t know this man!” His betrayal, in one sense, was greater than that of Judas who made the point that he very much did know who and where Jesus was. Yet, Peter was saved by Christ during a breakfast along the shore of the Galilean lake in John 21: 1 – 19: “Peter, do you love me,” Jesus asked: “Feed my sheep” he said to Peter. After the Pentecost experience, Peter stood up boldly and proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior: Acts 2: 14 – 36, “. . . let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Paul of Tarsus, on the other hand, no less a giant, was a world of contrast from Peter. Paul, a Jew like Peter, was a scholar of the Jewish law, a tent maker, a Pharisee and a rabid persecutor of the earliest followers of Jesus of Nazareth. In the Acts of the Apostles we read about the death of the Deacon named Stephen, in the sight of whose execution Paul stood with approval. Justified that Christians were a danger, Paul set out with full intent to imprison those Christians he could find when he was overtaken by a voice and vision of Christ –“Saul, why do you persecute me?” In his followers, Jesus lives.
Paul’s conversion story from the Acts of the Apostles, Acts 9: 1 – 19, is a testimony of God’s intent to see that the life, death, and resurrection of Christ was not in vain. Paul’s central conviction was a simple one: Only in God, not through the law, is salvation possible and only through the death and resurrection of the Christ is that made possible. This message he first brought to his own people, the Jews whom he never stopped loving. But it was not long before he realized, first to his amazement and later to his understanding that God’s intent was beyond any one race or culture; it was for all humanity to embrace salvation.
So, today’s Solemnity is a major holiday in the city of Rome where both Peter and Paul met their martyrdom; Paul by the sword and Peter by a cross. It is a day at the Vatican when Pope Benedict XVI will confer the pallium on 38 new Archbishop’s from around the world. The pallium is worn by an Archbishop during liturgical ceremonies and is a symbol of his yoke of authority over area Churches and their special tie with the see of Peter.
This is a day to mark our Catholic-Christian heritage - rich in symbolism and a day to give thanks for these two fascinating ancient figures. The name of Peter of Galilee, the first to Shepherd Christ’s Church and Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, are forever fixed in time and in our Christian conscience.
No comments:
Post a Comment