CHAIR: 

WHAT ARE YOUR 
THOUGHTS ABOUT CHAIRS?

INTRODUCTION

Today is the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter – a very interesting topic and theme  and image to think about.

So, I entitled my thoughts, “Chair: What Are Your Thoughts About Chairs?”

I began working and thinking about this last night and I came up with 3 pages – so by putting thoughts down on paper – maybe you will do likewise.

I assume that’s one of the purposes of this feast: to get us thinking about it.

THE CHAIR

Whenever  we have a meeting about some issue – or  we form a committee about some local problem – often one of the first steps is to elect a chair – to choose or vote for a person to be in charge.

So that’s a key meaning for this feast: Who’s in charge?  Who’s the chair?

In the gospel for today we have an early Christian text – establishing that Jesus puts Peter in charge of our church.

He’s the chair.  Pope Francis is number 266.

We use terms like chairman, pope, president, boss, leader, shepherd  for the person in charge.  Then depending on the type of group we have – someone is called the chair by that or some other title – and then what follows is a table of organization – rules and regulations – how the group is organized and governed. In the U.S. for government on all levels there are constitutions, legislation, plans and proposals.

CHAIR OBSERVATIONS

At weddings there is often a head table – or a small table for two – up front – often in the center. We’ve all seen variations on the theme.

At board meetings the president is often at the head of a long wooden table – sometimes the only one with arms on his or her chair – or he or she is in the center.

At debates – if there is a crowd - the speakers go to 6, 10 , or 12 podiums. If they are are equal - who stands where?  If they are not, there is agreement ahead of time based of predetermined  or voted on factors. Plus, there might be traditions or precedents.

I remember hearing a story about Cardinal Cooke of New York.  At a dinner in big hall, some lady was standing there talking to him. The Master of Ceremonies announced  3 or 4 times, “We’re about to begin!” However, Cookie was caught and so too were the big shot monsignors who had to wait till he sat down at the big round table. They knew their spot in the pecking order – closer or further away from him.

Priests and others off to side on other tables were already seated and were laughing at the dance these 7 monsignors were dancing. Finally, the lady moved towards the lesser tables. Cardinal Cooke took a seat at the big round head table.  Then the monsignors popped into their places.

Where is the head seat at a round table?

Growing up where did you sit? Where did mom sit? Who was more prominent: mom or dad?  Was there a kids’  table at thanksgiving?

In the gospels we have various instances of this human phenomenon. 

In Matthew 20: 28 the mother of James and John – tries to get her boys top seats next to Jesus - whereas in Mark 10:40 it's the boys who make the request to sit on Jesus’ right and left when he established his kingdom.

At the last supper Jesus is pictured front and center. Was he?  He surprised them all by getting up and washing their feet.

In Mark 10:42 Jesus said that the powerful  make their presence felt – lording it over others.   

How did Jesus make people feel?

Has anyone ever told you: "What are you doing sitting up here?  Go back there."

In the gospel of Luke 14:7-11,  Jesus says take the last seat till someone says, “Come sit higher in the pecking order?”

What’s it like to be pope – in the popemobile – which replaced the old sedia  gestatoria.   I loved it when Pope Francis in April of 2014 had two 5^th graders from Perugia ride along with him in the popemobile - as he rode through St. Peter's Square.

CONCLUSION

What have you learned about chairs?  I learned to sit in the back, if at all possible.  I learned not to judge about where people sit in church. 

A lady once told me that she always sits on the side – preferably under the 6th station – Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus -  because that has been her life experience – learning humility by allowing others to care and do for her. She added something that I could relate to. “I find it very easy to be the one who does the serving, but I find  it difficult to be helped – to be served – to be sick and someone has to help me.”

When my brother was in his last year of life with cancer, he would love to say, “Wait till I become incontinent!?” And his 7 daughters would go, “Ooooooooooh!  Ooooooooh! ”  His two sons-in-law told me that it was an honor for them to take care of him and clean him up in his last two weeks of life.

A man in a retreat house I worked in up in Pennsylvania once said to me, “I guess you’re wondering why I’m always sitting in the last row of the chapel - over in the right hand corner.”

I lied and said, “No.”  But I did see him, but it didn’t bother me. Most were up closer – and he was all by himself in the back row.

But I did say, “Why?” and I’m so glad I did. He said, “I had left the church for about 25 years and that’s where my mother would sit every afternoon praying for me to come back home to God.”

Chairs? What are your thoughts about chairs and where people sit?