“Far better it is for you to say: "I am a sinner," than to say: "I have no need of religion."

“The egocentric is always frustrated, simply because the condition of self-perfection is self-surrender. There must be a willingness to die to the lower part of self, before there can be a birth to the nobler.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, Seven Words of Jesus and Mary: Lessons from Cana and Calvary

Gospel Text: (MT 16:13-19)

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi

he asked his disciples,

“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah,

still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter said in reply,

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.

For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,

and upon this rock I will build my Church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.

Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;

and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Peter the Apostle denied Christ THREE times, even after being forewarned that one among the Apostles would do so. Peter was a man who loved our Lord so much. He gave up his life to follow Christ. Yet, he was so human and fell just like we do... continually.

You can't deny the message Jesus sends to us by choosing Peter. No matter how many times we fall (and fall, we will), our lives still carry so much value and purpose. No matter what we've done, there is still so much room for Jesus to fill us with His grace and enter our hearts. Because Christ died for us, we are redeemed and forgiven time and time again, whether we feel deserving or not.



I imagine Peter felt unworthy to be forgiven after he repeatedly denied the man who was sent to save him. Still Jesus teaches us what it really means to love and forgive. He changed Peter's heart and life and made him the first Pope, the first grand caretaker of the Church.

Do you ever have those moments in life where you know you've just failed? You know what you've said or done was not pleasing to God, but you couldn't take back what was already said or done? So you tell yourself it won't happen again, but then before you know it you're right back in your old ways? That was Peter. Once. Twice. Three times.



The truth is, we are all Peter. We've all fallen and will fall again; however, you need to know that your life has a beautiful future in store. You have a saving, redeeming God who loves you and with Him all things are possible. God gives us grace to overcome our very self. This grace comes to us through prayer, meditation on the scripture, reception of the Eucharist in the state of grace, and in the confessional with a priest. It is there that God “elevates” our  human nature in ways we CANNOT do on our own. The biggest mistake of mankind is trying to “fix itself”. That is why Jesus came, to help us, to heal us and ultimately to save us. Why does humanity still resist His saving hand?

So when you feel like the betraying Peter, just remember the Peter God turned him into. The Peter he was meant to become.