In our troubled and often tumultuous age, the voice of the first Pope—the humble fisherman of Galilee—continues to resound with paternal gravity and divine consolation. In the Epistle and Gospel readings drawn from 1 Peter 5:1–4; 5:10–11 and Matthew 16:13–19, the Church brings before us the Petrine office in its most luminous and suffering dimensions: one as shepherd in meekness, the other as rock with divine authority. The life of St. Peter Celestine, who renounced the papacy out of humility and love of God, gives further flesh to these sacred words. Let us reflect upon them in the light of the Fathers.
1. “Feed the Flock of God” — The Humble Shepherd (1 Peter 5:1–4)
“The elders among you I exhort… Feed the flock of God which is among you… not by constraint, but willingly… neither as lording it over the clergy, but being made a pattern of the flock.”
Here Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, speaks not from the height of his authority but from the depth of his experience as a fellow sufferer (conpresbyterus). St. Peter Celestine, centuries later, would echo this same humility by laying down the supreme pontificate when he discerned he could no longer carry it in holiness. He showed that the highest office must be conformed to the Cross, not sought for pride.
St. Gregory the Great, himself a reluctant pope, writes in his Pastoral Rule:
“No one presumes to teach any art unless he has first, with studious effort, learned it. With what rashness, then, does the unskilled assume the pastoral care, when the government of souls is the art of arts!” (I.1)
This spirit of reverent fear—timor Domini—pervades Peter’s exhortation. The bishop is to guide not through compulsion, nor for base gain, but by example, even unto death.
2. “After You Have Suffered a Little…” — The God of All Grace (1 Peter 5:10–11)
“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, confirm, and establish you.”
Here we are reminded that suffering precedes glory. As Peter himself was crucified upside-down, and Celestine suffered imprisonment after his resignation, so too must every Christian, especially those who lead, undergo trial.
St. John Chrysostom comments on this passage:
“If we suffer for Christ’s sake, we ought to be joyful… for God does not permit temptations to last forever, but after the storm, He brings calm.” (Homilies on First Peter)
This is the same divine logic that led St. Peter to embrace martyrdom, and St. Peter Celestine to embrace obscurity. Both trusted the Deus omnis gratiæ—the God of all grace—more than themselves.
3. “Thou art Peter…” — The Rock of Faith (Matthew 16:13–19)
“Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Here, Our Lord speaks directly and unequivocally: Peter is not merely a recipient of faith, but its visible foundation. The confession—“Thou art the Christ”—precedes the commission, and it is by divine revelation that Peter becomes Rock.
St. Leo the Great declares:
“The firmness of faith, which was praised in the prince of the apostles, abides always in this rock, which is Peter.” (Sermon 3 on His Anniversary)
The Petrine office, then, is not only one of governance, but of supernatural witness. It is the visible sign of Christ’s enduring presence in His Church. Yet this power is ordered to service and cruciform love, as both the Scriptures and the life of St. Peter Celestine reveal.
Conclusion: The Two Faces of Peter
In Peter the Apostle, and in Peter Celestine the Pope and Confessor, we see two aspects of the same divine mystery: authority founded on truth, and sanctity grounded in humility. The chair of Peter is not a throne of dominion but a seat of truth and suffering.
Let us then, in our time, pray for the successors of Peter, that they may imitate not only the strength of his confession but also the humility of his service. And let us remember the words of the same Peter:
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
Sancte Petre Apostole, ora pro nobis.
Sancte Petre Celestine, ora pro nobis.