03/07/2004: "Thoughts on today's Gospel reading"

The transfiguration is such a remarkable thing and it really needs meditating on. In fact, I think we all too infrequently spend time in prayer thinking about it. But meditation isn't easily done over the web, so I want to focus today on another aspect of this wonderful event: good old Peter.

If you cut out the few passages in scripture where Christ explicitely calls out Peter as first amongst the Apostles, I think we'd all have a much lower opinion of him. Peter is not the best example amongst the Apostles. He denies Christ three times. He sinks while trying to walk across water because of his lack of faith. And today he just says something stupid. I mean come on, you wake up to see you good friend Christ showing his Divinity and talking with the greatest Prophets of the Jews, who are also dead, and the best thing you can think to say is, 'let's have a campfire!'?

So why is it that Christ picked this bonehead to lead our Church? I mean, wouldn't John have been a better choice?

I don't think so. Peter is a better representation of who we are as a Church. We're not perfect and never have been. We say stupid things at times. We don't have the faith we should have at times. We deny Christ all to frequently. But what makes us the Catholic Church is our continual renewal, our continuing to stand up and try again.

Christ forgave Peter three times for denying Him three times. He forgives His Church, founded upon Peter, in a similar manner.