St. Zephyrinus, a Roman, led the Church as Pope at the end of the 2nd century, a time of intense persecution where his thirteen predecessors were martyred. His main struggle was not only against external violence but also against internal heresies, such as Gnosticism and Monarchianism, which undermined the divinity of Christ. Although not a great theologian, with prudence and divine assistance, he allied himself with great defenders of orthodoxy like St. Irenaeus and Tertullian to guide the Church, defending the faith against rigorism and false doctrines until his martyrdom in 217.
🙏 Introit (Jn 21:15, 16, 17 | Ps 29:2)Si díligis Me, Simon Petre, pasce agnos meos, pasce oves meas... If thou lovest me, Simon Peter, feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Ps. I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast upheld me: and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me. ℣. Glory be to the Father.
📜 Epistle (I Pt 5:1-4, 10-11)
Dearly beloved: The ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech, who am myself also an ancient, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ: as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint, but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre’s sake, but voluntarily: Neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart. And when the Prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, will himself perfect you, and confirm you, and establish you. To him be glory and empire for ever and ever. Amen.
📖 Gospel (Mt 16:13-19)
At that time, Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and He asked his disciples, saying: Whom do men say that the Son of man is? But they said: Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. Jesus saith to them: But whom do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.
🤔 Reflections
🏛️Peter's confession is the foundation of the Church, for it is upon the rock of faith in Christ, the Son of the living God, that the structure is raised; it was not said to him 'You are the rock,' but 'You are Peter,' the Rock being Christ Himself, whom he confessed (St. Augustine, Sermon 295). This power of the keys, given to one man, was not to be retained by him but to be transmitted to all the leaders of the Church, for what was entrusted to one was intended for all, and it is in the unity of faith that authority is manifested (St. Leo the Great, Sermon 4). Thus, the shepherding exhorted in the Epistle is not one of domination, but a service of administering this authority for salvation, for the shepherd who serves as a model to the flock receives from the Prince of pastors the crown of glory, which is the reward for using the keys to open heaven, not to close it (St. Bede the Venerable, Commentary on 1 Peter).
🔄The Gospels of Mark (Mk 8:27-30) and Luke (Lk 9:18-21) narrate the same confession of Peter, but both omit the institutional promise that follows in Matthew: the mention of Peter as the rock, the building of the Church, and the giving of the keys. Luke, however, adds the detail that Jesus was "praying alone" before asking the question, underscoring the divine solemnity of the moment. The Gospel of John, while not containing this scene, complements it with the "feed my sheep" passage (Jn 21:15-17), which confirms, after the resurrection, Peter's pastoral charge over the entire flock, as echoed in the day's Introit.
⛪️The writings of St. Paul deepen the metaphor of the Church as a building, stating that it is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Eph 2:20). This complements Matthew's view by showing that although Peter holds a primacy, the entire apostolic college serves as the foundation. Paul reinforces that "no other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid; which is Christ Jesus" (1 Cor 3:11), aligning with the interpretation that faith in Christ is the true rock. In Galatians, he refers to Peter (Cephas), James, and John as "pillars" of the Church (Gal 2:9), acknowledging Peter's leadership within a collegial structure.
📜The Dogmatic Constitution Pastor Aeternus of the First Vatican Council formally defines that the primacy of jurisdiction over the whole Church was promised and conferred immediately and directly upon St. Peter by Christ, extensively citing Matthew 16 and John 21. The encyclical Satis Cognitum of Pope Leo XIII reiterates that this primacy is not merely one of honor but of true authority, being the visible principle and perpetual foundation of the unity of faith and communion in the Church. These documents dogmatically articulate the papal authority implicit in the day's liturgical texts.
🧐 See English articles here.