26 September | Youth
«And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. […] So Peter went out and wept bitterly.» Luke 22:61-62
Not everyone who makes you cry is your enemy. And not everyone who makes you smile is your friend. If only we had the judgement to discover this in time! Sometimes we only realize reality when it is too late. It happens to us. It happened to Peter, who was a man of action, not so much of thought. However, Jesus wanted to train him to do both. A good leader needs to be more than an intelligent philosopher that people with normal IQs cannot understand; and more than a narrow-minded worker who obeys rules without thinking about them, with the risk of confusing what is legal with what is right, as if this were always true. It was Peter who, after being well trained, declared: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). He learned to guide his life by principles and to think before acting.
One of Pedro's biggest dilemmas, as an apprentice, was denying the Master. He saw how contradictory and insecure he was; a surprise for himself but for no one else. He saw all this mirrored in the loving eyes of Christ, shortly after the rooster crowed. Jesus' gaze condemned Peter and, at the same time, redeemed him. Peter understood how vulnerable we are when the ego takes control. He was finally ready to give himself fully, but first he would go through the valley of self-pity. He felt inadequate, dirty and bad. He saw that he was far from good; that he was not perfect; that mercy is the only legitimate way to apply justice to beings sold into slavery to sin, such as him, you and me.
Although we are all unworthy of salvation, no one needs to feel inadequate in the presence of God. The Lord looks at us with compassion, like no one ever has and will never do. He covers us with the mantle of forgiveness, accepts us back as if we had never abandoned Him. For God there are no inadequate people, just misplaced attitudes and decisions. One example is thinking that He makes a mistake by being good to us and giving us new opportunities. So, the next time you cry regretting a mistake you made, think carefully: Isn't this the cue that God needs to give you the second chance that will change the course of your life?