Tuesday, April 11, 2006

St. Peter and Language

I started receiving this email called The Daily Gospel. It's quite good. It always has a commentary from an early church writer, father, doctor, etc. included at the end.
The gospel reading for today is from John 13.21-38. Can't we all identify with Peter?

Commentary of the day : Saint Maxim of Turin (? – around 420), Bishop CC Sermon 76, 317

“The cock will not crow before you have three times disowned me.Turning around, the Lord looked at Peter. And Peter, become aware of what he had just said, he repented and wept…; he broke into tears and remained mute… (cf. Lk 22:61-62). Words can not be successful in expressing a prayer, and they can never succeed in expressing tears. Tears always express what we are feeling, but words can be powerless. That is why Peter did not have recourse to words. Words had pushed him to betray, to sin, to deny his faith. He preferred admitting his sin by means of tears, since he had denied through words…Let us imitate him in what he said elsewhere, when the Lord asked him three times: “Simon, do you love me?” (Jn 21:17) Three times he answered: “Lord, you know that I love you.” Then the Lord said to him: “Feed my sheep,” and he said it three times. That word made up for his previous aberration. The one who had denied the Lord three times, confessed him three times; he had become guilty three times, three times he obtained grace through his love. See therefore what benefit Peter drew from his tears!… Before shedding tears, he was a traitor; once he had shed tears, he was chosen as pastor, and he who had behaved badly received the responsibility to lead the others.

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