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St. Peter: Personage in the Passion

Homily

Sunday, April 2nd , 5th Sunday of Lent

at St. Joseph Parish, Detroit

           Many today might be interested in hearing what the Cardinal had to say regarding the five year plan of parish closings, mergers and clustering which will occur starting now in the Archdiocese of Detroit. I’ll offer a brief comment to that effect at the end of Mass. For now, let us turn to what matters, the mysteries of Lent and the Passion of our Lord.

            Suffering brings out the best and the worst of each of us. And so it is with the passion of Jesus Christ: it brought out the best and the worst of the people among whom Jesus lived, the Apostles, the disciples, his friends, his enemies.

            I wish today to focus upon another character of the Passion, St. Peter, magnificently portrayed in the superb art in our Church in multiple ways. He was the working man whom the Lord made the Rock upon whom he founded the Church.

            What wonderful things did the Lord bestow upon this humble man? Who was he? How did he fall? And how was he redeemed?

            Peter was not always called Peter, he was Simon, the Son of John, and it was Jesus who renamed him Peter, a Greek word meaning “rock.”[1] As the scriptures refer to his “mother in law,” it has always been commonly held that he was married; and also commonly held that after his call from the Lord, he lived a celibate life following the example of Jesus himself. He was a fisherman in Caparnaum near the sea of Galilee.[2] His brother Andrew was with John, both of whom eventually were of the Twelve, and they heard John the Baptist speaking one day. Jesus passed by, and John the Baptist called him the “Lamb of God,” the first time he was ever called that in the course of history. Andrew went to get Simon and told him that he had found the Messiah.[3] Later when the two were with their Father in the fishing boat, he called them to not only believe in him, as they already did, but to leave everything and follow him, which they did without delay.[4]

            Peter is mentioned way more than any other apostle; he is the one apostle whose conversations with Christ are most recorded; Jesus took Peter with him and James and John,[5] and explained things to them which he did not to the others.[6] To Peter he explained that the reward of giving up everything and following him.[7] Peter alone was given the invitation to walk on the water.[8] Peter was the first to profess faith in the mystery of the Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist.[9] The Lord made him the prince of the Apostles and the Rock of the Church,[10] and entrusted him with strengthening his brothers in the Church after the Paschal Mystery, for Jesus prayed for him to the Father, that thereafter his faith would not fail.[11] Jesus appeared to Simon Peter among the first after the Resurrection, perhaps second only to Mary.[12] He was the head of the Church after the resurrection, as are his successors to this day, he rose the dead, he struck down those who abused the early Christian community, and he authored two books of the Bible, the Epistles which bear his name.

            Yet glorious St. Peter had his weaknesses, for Satan had asked God to sift him like wheat,[13] as he did Job.[14] When he walked on the water, his faith faltered.[15] He attempted to persuade Jesus to flee from the suffering and from the cross.[16] Worst of all, he denied Jesus three times while Jesus was being condemned.[17] For this distressful treason, it is said that Peter cried so bitterly his whole life long, that furrows were washed into his cheeks.  Even after the resurrection he had much to learn about the faith.[18] So much more can be said about this great man, this weak man, Peter, the Rock.

            Could Peter ever have guessed what God had in store for him? So it is that God calls the weak and does great things through them.

            The crucible that Peter needed to endure for his purification was the Passion of Christ. He didn’t like the Cross, he didn’t like that Jesus had to die pierced to it. And when the cross appeared, he was filled with cowardice, so much so that he even was afraid to tell a maid girl at a campfire that he was a believer. But by the grace of Christ he was redeemed, and grace made him greater than he ever could have been without God’s supernatural help.

            Is Peter different from many of us? How do we respond when the Cross comes? When we need to turn that blasted TV off and pray? When we need to serve sick or elderly family members? When illness knocks on our own door? When financial problems oppress us? When our weaknesses discourage us? When others do us evil? Do we not also flee from the Cross? Do we not also try to explain to God why it’s better that there were no Cross?

            Holy week is approaching. Come, take up the cross of sacrificing your time to attend the holy liturgy in the many extra and beautiful rites that comprise it. Come, suffer with Christ, die on the Cross as Peter himself eventually did. The story of Peter encourages us to pray the ancient hymn, “Hail Cross, our Only Hope!”

Notes after Mass:

1. Buddies Pizza: 24^th, Slice for Life fundraiser… Parish council night, so I wish to invite all to 12:10 Mass, and let’s go to Hamtramck together to have a slice of pizza.

2. Closings: Our cluster is not affected at all. We have priests, parishioners, no debt, and a great spiritual life. Keep it that way: participation (KoC, L of Mary, Study Group on Thursdays, St. Vincent de Paul, Purgatorial Society, Altar Service, Uschers, etc.). Also, I’m looking for a team of people to help me with some large scale fund raising projects to maintain the Church…