Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
There are many jokes about meeting St. Peter at the pearly gates of Heaven someday. Peter the fisherman could be characterized as impulsive; he was quick to make a decision and quick to speak his mind. But what happened to Peter after he met Jesus and answered the call to follow this traveling rabbi?
The Gospels give us a picture of Peter and his fellow apostles listening to the teachings of Jesus and observing the amazing miracles of healing as they traveled from Galilee to Jerusalem. It must have been both fascinating and frightening. They were ordinary Jewish men who were being asked to take a gigantic step – to believe that this Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah, even if his Kingdom was very different from their established hopes. Nothing was totally clear. Even the special privilege of witnessing the glory of Jesus’s divinity transfigured on Mt. Tabor was an experience of ecstasy only to be followed by the final trip to Jerusalem and then experience unimaginable shock and suffering.
The Gospel accounts reveal two very important facts about Peter and the other apostles. First of all, we see their gradual growth in faith and acceptance of the mission of Jesus. Second, we also see their ongoing burden of slow understanding and their wavering courage to fully accept allegiance to Jesus. On their way to Jerusalem, they were still bickering over whom was to be the greatest in the New Kingdom. On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter faltered and denied knowing Him while the others ran away into the night.
Today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles places St. Peter front and center. He acknowledges that the Spirit of the Risen Lord has commissioned him to cross the former Jewish barriers and bring the Good News to the Gentiles and the whole world. St. Peter has at last graduated! With the gift of mercy and courage from the Holy Spirit, he will complete his journey of faith all the way to martyrdom.
Can St. Peter, with all his flaws, be a mentor for you? Are there people around you dealing with darkness, sadness, discouragement, and personal suffering to whom you alone have access? Remember, you may be the only Gospel some people will ever hear!
Reflection by Fr. Daniel Petsche, OSB
Posted in Lenten Resources