PETER’S SILENCE AND REPENTANCE
(Erico Joseph T. Canete)
The gospel of Christ’s passion read on Palm Sunday and Good Friday, though heard many times, enables me to reflect on the love of God the Father who sent His only begotten Son to make amend or reparation for our sins.
Humans as we are, we commit sin. This is clearly expressed in the dictum; “Humanum errare est – To err is human.” With our fallen nature, we are always attracted to the apparent good, that is, evil in itself that appears as good. In a word, sin. Yet, our humanity should not be construed as the inevitability of error or the justification of failure. It does not mean that to be human was already to be wrong.
In the gospel, we learned that Peter denied or disowned Christ thrice in front of everyone. It was a grievous betrayal. It was a declaration that Peter rejects Christ. An author said, “Peter’s denial was in direct conflict with the nature of discipleship.” Personally, I consider this as an aversion to God far greater than what Judas did to Christ. For in fairness to Judas, his kiss was a simple identification of the Rabbi and not denial per se independent of his intention. Besides, he had a vincible type of ignorance on the matter as to the consequence of his action, I suppose.
Peter’s culpability is manifested on Matthew 10:32-33 which states, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But however disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”
But everything changed when Christ looked at Peter in silence. Out of Christ’s silence, just meeting him through his eyes, that Peter wept and learned the value of silence thus healing his raucous conscience. He wept. He begged for forgiveness. His repentance freed him from the bondage of the slavery of sin; an act which elevated his humanity to a deep sense of spirituality being in union once again with Christ.
Judas on the other hand was troubled by shame and guilt with no repentance. Consequently, he succumbed to suicide; solving evil by committing another evil.
May we continue to be like Peter whose virtues, valuing Christ’s silence, staring Christ’s merciful eyes, and, begging for forgiveness, made him reunited with Christ.
May Christ’s love and salvific act stay in us this Holy Week and beyond.