Petertide

I never really used to like the character of Peter. He always seemed to be making trouble for the women - even making his mother-in-law get up and do the housekeeping and serve the guests just after Jesus had healed her. And what guests there were - the roof of her house even being taken apart to lower down someone on a stretcher into the main room.

And then with Michael, I worked on some reflections about Peter for our patronal festival, imagining something of what must have gone through his mind at various points. And suddenly I realised - of course Peter was the rock upon which the Church must be founded! He was flawed, but he was passionate. He would fly off the handle, lose his temper, and then weep bitterly in repentance. He was afraid at times, afraid even to have his feet washed, and affronted - then begged that his whole body be bathed. He was everything all of us are - but he was also 'big' enough, to admit his mistakes, to carry on following Jesus even when he called him a devil for denying the way of the Cross. He carried on. It takes guts to face your own mistakes, admit to them and keep on trying.

What better example could we have for the Church? I used to think it should have been John, the beloved John. Or Mary, Mary who followed him to the Cross, never thinking of her own safety. But these are so difficult to live up to. We all have to face our fears, face our sins - and this is what Peter did. He faced his humiliation, his denial of his beloved Jesus, and with even more bravery accepted the forgiveness and love offered by the Jesus he denied.

Bonnie Evans-Hills