True reverence - Fr Faber

What is more necessary to true worship than a deep and calm reverence? Nay, what is more sweet to hot-hearted love than to be hushed and awe-smitten in the presence of the refulgent attributes of God? Familiarity in religion would be a simple impertinence if reverence did not mingle with it. What more familiar than the relation between father and son, yet what love more reverent than filial love? Truly, while it was true reverence which made Peter tell his Master to depart from him because he was a sinful man, it was no true reverence which made the craven men of Gadara beseech Jesus to withdraw His importunate blessings from their coast. But it was reverence, perhaps a deeper reverence than Peter's, which made Magdalene strive to hold the Risen Jesus by His feet, though it was not His will to suffer it. Too often, alas! we mistake coldness for reverence, and stiffness for respect. How sweetly did Jesus reprove that spirit when St. Gertrude complained to Him of one of her nuns who, out of reverence, as she fancied, kept away from a community Communion. "What would you have Me do?" said our Blessed Lord, "these good people tie the bandage of their own unworthiness so tightly over their eyes that they cannot see the tenderness of My Paternal Heart."

All For Jesus

St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles - Cardinal Bacci

St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles

1. Jesus was walking one day along the shore of the Sea of Galilee when He saw two fishermen casting their nets into the water. He approached them and said: “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17) These two fishermen were brothers named Simon and Andrew. The divine Master won their hearts immediately, so that they left their boat and their nets and followed Jesus. Simon was later called Peter and became the leader of the Apostles.

Peter's generosity and great love for Jesus are evident in the pages of the Gospel. When our Lord foretold the institution of the Blessed Eucharist, many of His disciples were scandalised and left Him. "Do you also wish to go away?" Jesus asked His Apostles. St. Peter answered Him without delay. “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast words of everlasting life, and we have come to believe and to know that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” (John 6:69) On another occasion Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do men say the Son of Man is?” The Apostles hesitated and began to suggest the names of various Prophets. But St. Peter was inspired to make the reply: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then our Lord appointed him Head of the Church. “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona... thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.” (Mt. 16: 15-19) By these words there was instituted the loftiest and most ancient of the dynasties, the Papacy. The successors of St. Peter will rule the Church to the end of time and no power, neither persecution nor heresy, neither human tyranny nor false civilisation, will ever succeed in destroying this citadel of truth and goodness.

When a band of hired ruffians arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, His disciples were terrified and did nothing. Peter was the only one to show any courage, drawing his sword in defence of his divine Master. Later Jesus was brought in chains before the Sanhedrin and was condemned to death. Peter had not the heart to leave Him to His fate. He was too generous for that, even if he was too hasty and went on to deny Jesus three times. But he repented quickly and regretted his fault for the rest of his life. Even in his sin we can discern Peter's generosity of spirit.

Before he went to Rome, Peter had flouted the authority of the Synagogue of Jerusalem and had endured prison and undertaken long journeys in the course of his mission. Providence brought him to Rome, where he established the Roman Church which he was to sanctify by the shedding of his blood. He was crucified close to the Vatican hill from which his successors would one day govern the Christian world. His martyrdom bestowed an invincible strength upon the Church for all time.

2. It is good to admire the fidelity of St. Peter and the designs of divine Providence in making him the visible Head of the Church, but it is far better to follow his example. His love for Jesus led him to leave his family and his fisherman's trade in order to follow Our Lord. It led him to undertake long voyages, to endure imprisonment, and to face martyrdom. What can we do for the love of Jesus? Remember that if love is to be sincere it must be generous and effective.

Secondly, let us meditate on and imitate the ardent and fearless faith of St. Peter. He was not afraid to preach the teaching of Christ before the Sanhedrin. He was not afraid of Herod, who cast him into prison. He was not afraid of the Roman Emperor, who caused him to be crucified. Our faith should be steadfast and lively like his.

Finally, let us imitate Peter in his repentance. Although he loved Jesus very much and had such great faith in Him, in a moment of weakness and of imprudence he denied Him three times. All his life, however, he wept bitterly for this sin. Whenever he heard a cock crowing, it was as if an arrow had pierced his heart. He was not satisfied until he was hanging upon the cross like his divine Master and could prove his love for Jesus by a martyr's death.

3. Protect your people, O Lord, and keep them safe always, trusting as they do in the protection of your Apostles, Peter and Paul. Amen.

The Repentance of Peter - Cardinal Bacci

The Repentance of St. Peter

1. Peter had denied his Master three times. He was standing in the courtyard of the High Priest warming himself before a brazier and not even thinking of the depths to which he had descended. Jesus, calumniated, struck and mocked as if He were criminal, forgets altogether about Himself. Moved by compassion for the leader of His Apostles, now become a perjurer, He turns His gaze towards him. Peter is jerked back to his senses by this look, which is at the same time stern and affectionate. He realises at last the level to which he has fallen. He is stricken to the heart and feels a sudden tightness in his throat. “And Peter went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:62)

Peter saw clearly at this stage the chasm into which he had fallen. He thought of all the gifts and favours which he had received from Jesus and recalled the prophecy which his Master had made. “A cock will not crow this day, until thou hast denied three times that thou knowest me.” (Luke 22:34) He remembered also how he had sworn that he would never deny Jesus. Now he saw himself in the role of the prodigal son or the lost sheep... and as he wept bitterly he saw again the reproachful yet loving gaze of Jesus. His grief found an outlet in his tears and he was filled with confidence that Jesus in His infinite goodness would forgive him. If we should fall (as we often do, unfortunately), let us rise again immediately as Peter did. Let us weep for our sins and kneeling before Jesus, represented by the priest, let us confess our faults and tell God that we shall never offend Him again.

2. When Peter realised how wretchedly he had fallen, the first thing which he did was to escape from the occasion of sin. “Peter went out.” (Luke 22:62) He grieved for his three sins not only on that sad night but throughout his life. St. Clement writes that he wept so often that his tears wore two deep furrows in his cheeks and that whenever he heard the cock crowing, the cry pierced his heart. He loved Jesus sincerely and passionately. When he was asked three times if he loved Him, he replied humbly: “Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.” (Cf. John 21:16) Can we say these same words to Jesus with equal sincerity and humility? If we really love Jesus as Peter did, and are prepared to face death for His sake as Peter was, then we may be sure that we shall never offend God again.

3. Two of the Apostles sinned seriously. Peter denied Jesus and Judas betrayed Him. Both regretted their offence, but Peter's was the repentance of love and that of Judas was the remorse of despair. Judas also admitted his fault. “I have sinned,” he said, “in betraying innocent blood.” (Mt. 27:4) He flung the thirty pieces of silver, which he received as a reward for his crime, into the temple. But he did not return to Jesus, Who had even called him His friend at the time of the betrayal. He did not trust in His infinite goodness, but went away in despair and hanged himself with a halter from a tree. Let us adore the mystery of the providence and mercy of God, but let us remember that we are lost if we abuse it. Our next sin could be the last which we should have the opportunity of committing. If God did not grant us the grace to repent, we could end in the manner of Judas rather than that of Peter. Let us think earnestly about this and form new resolutions with sincerity and humility.

Peter Denies Jesus - Cardinal Bacci

Peter Denies Jesus

1. St. Peter was by nature impetuous and generous. He loved Jesus sincerely. Even after the other Apostles had run away when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane (Cf. Mt. 26:56), he followed Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the High Priest's house. “Peter was following at a distance.” (Luke 22:54) In his generous enthusiasm, however, he depended too much on himself. During the last supper Jesus had foretold to His Apostles His approaching passion and death and their desertion. Immediately, Peter had solemnly declared that, even if all the others would be scandalised on the night of the passion, he would never be scandalised. He would, he said, be ready to go with Jesus to prison and to death. (Cf. Mt. 24:33, Luke 22:33) But Jesus tried to put him on his guard against presumption. “I tell thee, Peter, a cock will not crow this day, until thou hast denied three times that thou knowest me.” (Cf. Luke 22:34) In spite of this prophecy, the impetuous Apostle went as far as the courtyard of the High Priest. While the divine Redeemer was brought in chains before the judgment seat of the High Priest, where He was calumniated, struck and condemned to death, Peter was asked if he was a follower of the Galilean. Three times He denied his Master with oaths and protests. Unfortunately, this is what happens to anyone who trusts presumptuously in his own strength. This is what happens when we forget that we can do nothing, as St. Paul points out, without the help and the grace of God. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything, as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Cor. 3:5) Anyone is courting disaster if he foolishly places all his confidence in himself and neglects to seek the help of God when he is in danger. He is certain to fall.

2. While Jesus was praying and suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter was asleep. He followed Jesus at a distance, admittedly, but he followed fearfully and slowly. Unfortunately tepidity is the first step towards falling into sin. A man who is lukewarm and does not pray will fall victim to the first assault. This is what happened to Peter. The same will happen to us if we do not preserve a bond of love and prayer with Jesus. At least after his first fall, Peter should have remembered Jesus' prophesy. He should not have continued to trust in his own strength and should have escaped from the occasion of sin. Instead of this, he remained in it. As a result, instead of falling only once, he denied his divine Master three times with oaths and protestations. Let us learn to flee from the occasions of sin. When we find ourselves in them, let us escape as quickly as possible. If our duty obliges us to face them, God will certainly give us the strength to overcome them as long as we humbly ask for it. On the other hand, if we are imprudent about placing ourselves in danger we shall certainly fall. “He who loves danger will perish in it.” (Ecclus. 3:25)

3. St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, was endowed with many gifts and graces. He was taught by Jesus for three years and had seen many wonderful miracles. Moreover, he loved His Master very much. If he could fall so wretchedly, we who are so weak and helpless should tremble at the approach of temptation. We should fly to Jesus without delay and tell Him that He may do anything to us if He desires, even take our lives, as long as He does not allow us to desert or to deny Him, nor to offend Him by any sin. The example of Peter's fall is a grave warning to us. It is a warning to us to be humble and persevering in prayer and to place all our confidence in God.

St Peter's denial and the Church

Don't forget the daily Lenten meditations which Carmel Books blog is providing.

Here's t he concluding thought in today's meditation:

Why did our Lord permit him, who was to become the head of the Church, to fall so low? And why was it published to the whole world in the Gospel? The Fathers give the reasons for it. They say, in the first place, it was that St. Peter and his successors, the chief pastors of the Church, should excel in humility, and have a deep sympathy for the weakness of their people. Secondly, that the world, perceiving on what a weak foundation in itself the Catholic Church is built, should recognise that it is indeed the work of God, not of men, and that its existence is a wonder and a marvel. Thirdly, as a warning to men, that, no matter to what height of sanctity they have attained, they are still very weak, and stand in continual need of divine grace. We will therefore bless and exalt the wisdom of Divine Providence.

 This agrees with Hilaire Belloc's observation, which I posted a few weeks ago:

"The Catholic Church is an institution I am bound to hold divine — but for unbelievers a proof of its divinity might be found in the fact that no merely human institution conducted with such knavish imbecility would have lasted a fortnight."