Michael Nguyen SVD
I returned to the Bataan refugee camp with friends. My friend, seeing the tiny wooden boat displayed at the center of the Bataan Museum, demonstrated his curiosity by pointing to me a question: “How could you survive in such a small…compartment?”
I looked at my friend and quickly responded: “Friend! I survived the journey because I had hoped.”
“Hope of what?” asked the Filipinos friend.
“Well,” I answered him, “Hope that my boat would eventually land on freedom land.”
Likewise, Peter had once hoped, for Jesus had foretold him that the former fisherman would eventually betray his master… But, Peter would never believe it. Surely he must have thought, “Oh! Master! Be serious… How can that happen? No way…”
Unfortunately, that prediction had happened not only once but three times eventually;
That prediction takes place in the Garden of Olives when Peter runs away as quickly as he can while his master is surrounded by the Roman soldiers (why not?). Actually the former fisherman and the other Ten abandon Jesus who is left alone in the Garden (of course Judah remains at the scene!).
But, perhaps Peter still hopes (whatever hope that he might have been nurtured by heaven). And this hope brings Peter to the courtyard of the High priest.
But, cursed is Peter for the Galilean accent that he shares with Jesus. In front of three insignificant people in society, three times Peter denies his knowledge of Jesus. The last time, he even swears an oath to prove his statement, “I swear I don’t know the person whom you are talking about…”. Yes, the person who had installed Peter as the leader of His Church, the person who had given Peter the keys to both, below and above, the Messiah is denied by Peter in public for three times.
At that moment, the rooster crows the second time, exactly as Jesus had foretold Peter during the Passover meal… What an abysmal sound!… The former fisherman runs away from the courtyard bursting into tears!… Perhaps the eyes of his master follow after Peter… Peter experiences a free fall!… He is in the depths of distress!!!
At the moment the death sentence is pronounced for Jesus, Judas returns to the Temple and throws the thirty pieces of silver at the ones with whom he had cut a deal. Perhaps he feels sorry for what he has done to his master… And he runs away. To where is he running? A tree by the road is his intended destination. A rope is hung on a branch of the tree, a human life falls down to the ground!
But, unlike Judas, despite facing the most difficult moment in his life, Peter does not look for a tree, but he looks to the future…
He looks for the day when he can see the Lord again, so he can ask for forgiveness from the master…
Actually Peter hopes… And this hope keeps his vigil candle alight until the moment he finally catches sight of the risen Jesus by the sea of Tiberias on that early morning (John 21).
June 29: Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
(Source: http://www.nguyentrungtay.net/jesusthetenpeter.html)
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