Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about!”As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.”Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!”A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away.”At that he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately a cock crowed.Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly.
It's a great privilege to be with you today and to share in this journey through Lent. This is a time when all Christians focus on the heart of our faith - Jesus' passion, death and resurrection - and it's a powerful witness for all of us to gather together to pray and enjoy being with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
You've probably all seen on the news that this is an exciting time for those of us who are Catholics. As we speak, the cardinals of our Church are gathered in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, doing their best to prayerfully discern who God wants them to pick as the next pope.
I can't imagine what that pressure feels like. It's difficult to make an important decision with a committee of five people. How would you like to do it with 115?
But we Catholics believe that God is working there, and that these men who have served the Church for most of their lives, will do everything they can to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and pick the right man for the job.
Catholics believe that this role - the bishop of Rome and the pastor of the whole Church - has come down to us all the way from St. Peter who we heard about in the reading from the Gospel of Matthew.
Now, Peter had his high points and low points. He's the one who, when Jesus asked, "who do you say that I am?" responded: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." That's when Jesus changed his name from Simon to Peter, and said, "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it."
Peter's the one who got out of the boat and walked on water - he got scared and needed Jesus to save him - but he got out. He was a seemingly impulsive but deeply faithful man.
Today, however, we hear of Peter's low point. Jesus has been arrested. He's on his way to the cross, and Peter - when given the opportunity to stand up for his master, a man he'd been following for three years now - says, "I do not know the man."
What a tragic statement. Besides being a lie, it's an apparent rejection of everything Peter had experienced with Jesus. He's too afraid to stand with the one he professed to be the Messiah and the son of God.
Peter was not perfect. He was weak. But the good news is that the story doesn't end here. Peter's faith is restored and he commits himself to Christ with his whole heart. Tradition holds that Peter went out to preach the gospel and was crucified in Rome, just on the other side of St. Peter's Basilica where those cardinals are trying to find his successor.
Peter's story applies to all of us, especially during this season of Lent, because all of us, by our words and actions, have said about Jesus, "I do not know the man."
When we've been more interested in our pride than recognizing our faults - I do not know the man.
When we choose our comfort over serving our neighbor - I do no know the man.
When anything comes before our relationship with God - I do not know the man.
But, like Peter, Jesus welcomes us back. He strengthens us and gives us this time of purification to grow in holiness, in serving our neighbor, and in love of our savior who poured out his life for us.
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