A longe | Distance

"Peter had followed him from a distance, until he came into the court of the high priest" - Mark 14: 54

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Jesus's Passion, Death, and Resurrection are beautiful facts of how humanity was reconciled to God. Creator God loved us so much that He sent his only beloved Son to be offered as a sacrifice (Jn 3:16). When I reflect on war situations around the world today, I understand how difficult it must have been for God to send His beloved Son to die a horrible death for our sake. For our reflection today we have Mark 14:53-72 which narrates a part of the Passion of Christ, which is Jesus before the Sanhedrin, and Peter disowning His master. All four Gospels give these accounts.

Jesus being innocent, was now before the High Priest and this was his second trial. The process was not done in accordance with the Law of the Jews and thus the trial itself was illegal. Justice and truth are important pillars in establishing the Kingdom of God. When these are wrongly justified and not practiced, pride, ego, and corruption can twist us just as it had twisted the Pharisees, the Sadducees and others who brought Jesus before the High Priest. 

Jesus being the victim teaches us how one must endure trails and false trials that come our way every now and then. When we are wrong, or even when we are blamed falsely, we must conduct ourselves like Jesus to give way for Justice and truth to be established. That makes us graceful in our Christian lives and helps us bear true witness to Christ before others. Let us examine our conduct when we become part of trials. Most importantly, let us examine if I initiate trials and ask others also to be a part of them while condemning those who may have done wrong to us or of whom we are jealous.

At the end of the trial, they all condemned Jesus for blasphemy and then comes another blow to Jesus. Peter denies His master and leaves Him to fend for Himself. Peter first and foremost followed Jesus from a distance. When we follow Jesus from a distance, we too cannot make a proper stand for ourselves with Jesus in important times. Secondly, Peter associated himself with the servants leaving behind the companionship of Jesus. He then denies Jesus three times before them.

The point of reflection for us is:  how many times do we deny Jesus in our day-to-day lives by not living honest Christian lives? People are important and at the same time, the teachings of Christ come first for us. Justice, truth, accompanying those who are wronged, bearing true witness to our beliefs, and staying in touch with the teachings of Christ by reading the Word of God every single day are ways where we follow Christ closely and not from a distance. 

Let us ask the Lord to bless us with the grace to work as agents of the Kingdom of God by living as He did and bearing witness to Him in every way. When we are wrong, like Peter, we can always repent and then lead a holy life.

 Reflection on Mark 14:53-72 by Fr Hanson D'Souza SVD

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