Friday, March 01, 2013

The Empty Chair

"Sede Vacante": that's where we are right now. Peter's Chair is empty, but ready for the one who will become the visible head of the Church of Jesus Christ.
What is your prayer during this time of waiting?
Lawrence OP / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

The Four Doctors holding up that Chair tell us to watch and pray!

3 comments:

Clare Krishan said...

... " two outer statues are figures of two Doctors of the Latin Church: St. Ambrose and St. Augustine; the two inner statues, with bare heads, are of two Doctors of the Greek Church: St. Athanasius and St. John Chrysostom. These saints represent the catholicity of the Church and at the same time, the consistency of the theologians' teaching with the doctrine of the Apostles "

h/t
http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Altars/Cathedra/Cathedra.htm

(shame tho' about the ignorance of some of us re: Petrine office,
https://twitter.com/OrthodoxFaith/status/296808469653250048
I thank God for πνεύμονες ζευγάρι, Greek pneumones zeugari or twin lungs!)

Carol O. said...

My prayer in this time is two-fold: The Cardinal randomizer gave me Card. Claudio Hummes, for whom I'm praying unto and through the upcoming conclave (a great initiative--bless you, thank you!); secondly, I've added a prayer that the Pope Emeritus-to-be will never know of much of the current commentary, lest the horror of it strip the sweet smile from his holy eyes (though nothing at all will ever stumble his prayer for the Church).

I've been trying to figure out what to make of this waiting time. Whereas we've not gone through it before, I can only think it is similar to that first absence when Jesus was deposed and Peter was still away from them all, crying. However, all that isn't grace is faith, and any gap is filled with hope: we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our new Vicar.

Sister Anne said...

Thanks, Carol, for the reminder "all that isn't grace is faith, and any gap is filled with hope." Yes!