Our first reading today is from Isaiah 49, more from the prophesies of the Servant of the Lord. “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Our Gospel reading is from John 13. Here we see Peter at his finest, just moments before we would see him at his weakest.
Jesus knew that He was on His way to the cross. He says to Peter, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now, though you will follow later.” Peter answers, “Master, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus tells him that “the cock will not crow before you deny me three times.”
The beautiful thing about Peter is that he really believed that he could stand up to any test. You’ve got to admire his sincerity. Unfortunately, when the time came to deliver, he simply couldn’t. Sound familiar? Sure does to me. In this moment of Peter’s life, he and I have a lot in common. I often have the best of intentions. “I will lay down my life for you, Lord!” Oh, really? Then why, at the first little temptation or trial, do I fold up like a cheap card table? Luckily, Peter got another shot. And he made the most of it. When we fold, Jesus is willing to give us another shot, too. Will we make the most of it?
Father, forgive us for our hubris, for our inflated egos. Keep us strong during moments of great trial. Amen.
0 comments