Negare | Denied

He denied Jesus, saying, “Woman, I don’t know him.” – Luke 22: 57 

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The story of Peter’s threefold denial of Christ is found in all four Gospel accounts. The one in Luke is in 22:55–62. A question many people ask, is why would the chief of the disciples deny even knowing Jesus Christ? Of course, we don’t know exactly, but fear was most probably one of the main reasons.

Although all the other disciples had fled (Mark 14:50), Peter still followed Jesus after His arrest, but he kept his distance. Peter watched as Jesus was being falsely accused, beaten, and insulted. Peter must have been gripped with fear and many other emotions. Peter wasn’t nearly as courageous as he had proclaimed. In fear he denied Jesus Christ.

Fear can be paralyzing. When we feel paralyzed by fear, we feel powerless and weak. It is in times of fear that we do things that are irrational, like Peter did. However, there is always hope. Even though Peter denied Jesus Christ, he received a second chance.

We read about this new chance in John 21 and it is connected to a charcoal fire. In the New Testament, only two times a charcoal fire (fire of coals) is mentioned. The first incident was in the courtyard of the high priest where Peter warmed his hands and where he denied that he knew Jesus (John 18:18). The second time was after the resurrection of Jesus, when Jesus cooked his disciples’ breakfast on the shores of Galilee on a fire of coals (John 21:9). There Peter was looking at a charcoal fire again. It is very likely that Peter thought back about that atrocious night in the courtyard of the high priest. 

There at the second charcoal fire, Peter received his second chance. Jesus did not tell Peter that he was not good enough, and needed more time to prove himself. Jesus just asked him: “Do you love me?” (John 21:15). It was such an important question. Jesus asked it three times. 

This is the most essential question for every believer, every day: Do you love Jesus? No matter what happened previously, do you love Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Saviour today? He who has Jesus has the life (1 John 5:12).

If we love Jesus, we will accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour because He died for us and His blood purified us from all sins.  If we love Jesus, we also receive what Jesus offers us: the complete forgiveness of sins. He is our all-sufficient Saviour. Christ was the perfect and final sacrifice. There is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the only One who can forgive us and deliver us from the the penalty of sin. He offered Himself once, for all sin, for all time (Hebrews 10:12). By His one offering, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). 

Let's confess Jesus as our Lord and Saviour without any fear! As we read in Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly".  We do not need to fear, as the Lord is our helper (Hebrews 13:6).

Reflection on Luke 22: 47 – 71 by Hanne Teach

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Coram hominibus (Mt. 10:32)

 

The Bible today speaks of denial. Denial is a harrowing event, and Jesus himself had experienced how Peter denied Him three times before the rooster crowed. Many reasons make people who are close to us, commit betrayal. Maybe at that time he felt pressured like the apostle Peter and the only way is to deny. Feelings of guilt usually come later after denial. Jesus set us a good example when Peter denied Him.  Though felt so hurt, Jesus forgave him and even gave the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Peter. Are we able to follow Jesus' example?

"Everyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angel of God." Blessed are we when we always confess Jesus with faith. God expects our confession to be sincere and full of faith and animate our deeds. Confession without action is meaningless. Show the world that we are Christ's brothers and sisters. Whenever we experience difficulties, face it with a smile and full of faith in God. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a sin that cannot be forgiven, and the consequences are significant, no place to rest in heaven. God is very loyal to His people. Even though He is often betrayed, often hurt by various sins committed by humans, He remains faithful, still waiting for His children to come home and lie on His lap. Let us learn to be faithful to God, faithful to do good deeds, faithful to meditate on the Word of God, devoted to each vocation of life, and many other types of faithfulness. At the time He has appointed, our faith will be rewarded by eternal life. Peace to all of you. Have a blessed weekend.

By Sr. YantiPurnawati, SFSC.

Quae Dei sunt (Mt. 16:23)

About a month ago I went to Sankt Augustin for my background check. There I visited a family with three children. One of the children is highly active and full of energy. He never seems to get tired of jumping around. This child managed to get on a table and wanted to jump from there to the floor. The mother who saw him ran to him quickly and got him from the table. Why did she do it? It is because she knew the boy would have injured himself if he had jumped. Yes, there is none of us who does not want to protect those we love from suffering. Parents are always on the lookout to protect children from all the human dangers that each child faces on the way to maturity. Saving a loved one from pain brings deep fulfillment and joy. St. Peter was no exception. The bond between him and Christ had grown so deep in the past few months that he was appalled when Christ spoke of his future suffering in Jerusalem. Peter would not have any of this nonsense. He assured Christ that such a conversation was out of place. However, sometimes we overprotect ourselves by causing those we love to miss out on many learning experiences. 

Hence, today's gospel brings us that awareness. We are therefore invited to always call on the Holy Spirit for guidance through prayer. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we become enlightened and can know. Whenever Peter was filled with the Spirit of God, God could reveal the truth to him. But in this gospel, he was guided by the flesh. Therefore, without God's Spirit in our lives, we will run away from God's glorious works. Without prayer, pain and suffering will always lead us to seek the easiest way. In God's plan, Christ would suffer and die on his way to resurrection and glory, on his journey to open the door of God's eternal life for us. Christ was lonely and afraid in his torment, but he knew that no matter what happened, his father would not leave him. The path of suffering is the path of life that many people travel. It is comforting to believe that no matter what our torment is, God will never forsake us.

Jesus now turns to each of us here and makes the demands of the gospel and all that they contain. Whether someone comes after him is voluntary, but once we have made up our mind, we need to know that his path is not an easy, comfortable path. It requires constant self-denial, a no to yourself, and a yes to God. He, therefore, reminds us that "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for Jesus' sake will find it." This implies that we must die for our false selves, for all forms of selfishness and self-promotion. Every day we are allowed to die in small ways for ourselves - for our pride, for our selfishness, for our lust for pleasure and power, etc. We are supposed to die so that the true self can be born.

To live with Jesus means to give space to the living God in my life. To live with Jesus means, with Jesus, to accept what life brings me. Joy and sorrow, success and defeat, resurrection, and cross. That means living in the Christian faith. Today the gospel makes us aware of it anew.

By Fr. Ouwakpare Victorin Oussoi, SVD.

Tu es Petrus (Mt. 16:18)

 

Today’s Gospel is set in the region of Caesarea Philippi. That is in the north of Palestine in the largely pagan territory near the sources of the River Jordan in the area of what is now the Golan Heights. So Christ is away from his usual environment and he is focusing on the formation of his disciples. He questions them. ‘Who do people say that the Son of man is?’ Jesus asks. And after the disciples’ answer, more pointedly, he asks, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ And Peter replies: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

It was pure grace from God that Simon Peter knew of the true identity of Jesus. Among the many disciples, why was Peter was chosen as the disciple to found the Church? Maybe because Peter was always close to Jesus, he had that hunger to be always in his company.

Jesus founded the Church, saying, ‘you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church’ (Matthew 16:18). This is still the same Catholic Church where we belong right now. Peter was our first Pope; Pope Francis is our present pope – the 266th successor of Peter.

Jesus did not ask Peter to be a star, but rock; not brilliant, but solid; not popular, but the unwavering voice of Christ to his people. Previously Peter was known as Simon the new name of Peter meaning ‘rock’.

He said to Simon Peter: ‘You are a rock’. Jesus is saying something similar to you and to me today in this Mass, in his words that we have just heard in sacred scripture. Listen to what Jesus is saying to us, listen to who Jesus is asking you to be. Then face each day of this coming week in the midst of our very troubled world, trying to remember just who it is Jesus says we are and who he means us to be.

By Fr. Rajesh Minz, UK.