# Prayer to the Holy Trinity on the Feast of St. Peter’s Chair
*2017-02-21*

> Bill Young reflects on the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, honors the line of popes, and leads a heartfelt prayer to the Holy{Trinity} written by St. Francis of Assisi.

## The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

Good morning. I’m Bill Young, and today is Wednesday, February 22, the feast of the Chair of St. Peter. This feast is not about a literal chair; it celebrates the office of the papacy that Jesus gave to Peter, the rock on which He built His Church. That authority has been handed down through more than 250 popes, ending with our present Pope Francis.

## What the Chair Symbolizes

A reflection from St. Francis Media explains that the chair represents the occupant, not the furniture. The first occupant, Peter, denied Christ three times and hesitated to welcome the Gentiles. Later popes have also stumbled, sometimes spectacularly. Yet the office endures as a sign of the Church’s long tradition, and we pray for all the popes—our living Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, and the many who have gone before, from John Paul II back to Pope Gregory the Great and Pope Pius IX.

## A Prayer to the Holy Trinity from St. Francis

Now let us pray the short prayer that St. Francis of Assisi wrote from his heart:

Almighty, eternal, righteous, and merciful God, grant that by your grace we, poor creatures, may do what we know you want us to do and may always desire what pleases you. Purify our souls, enlighten us with the fire of the Holy Spirit, that we may follow your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and reach you through your grace alone. You who live and reign in perfect Trinity and simple unity, Almighty God, forever and ever, amen.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

## Spiritual Resources and the Our Lady of Good Help Apparition

I recently received a pamphlet from the Marian Institute about the apparition of Our Lady of Good Help in Green Bay, Wisconsin—the first Marian apparition approved in the United States. The booklet tells the story of a Belgian immigrant girl who promised Mary to devote her life to the Blessed Mother, later becoming a sister who founded schools and taught children the basics of the faith. If you’re interested, you can call 847‑772‑9484 or visit www.marianinstitute.org for more information.

## Living the Faith One Step at a Time

Attending conferences, retreats, or even a daily Mass can be a ladder that leads us upward toward heaven. Each small act—listening to a podcast, sharing the Gospel, offering a prayer—helps us grow in charity. As Mary reminds us, we should not be content with merely receiving Communion; we are called to spread the Good News.

*The Chair of St. Peter reminds us that, despite human weakness, the papal office endures, and we are called to walk in the light of the Holy Trinity.*