The Mystic Christian Reader

Today's reading is from the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 22, verses 56-60:

When a maid saw him seated in the light, she looked intently at him and said, "This man too was with him." But he denied it saying, "Woman, I do not know him."
A short while later someone else saw him and said, "You too are one of them;" but Peter answered, "My friend, I am not."
About an hour later, still another insisted, "Assuredly, this man too was with him, for he also is a Galilean." But Peter said, "My friend, I do not know what you are talking about."

This is one of those fundamental moments in the New Testament. Jesus' chief disciple has abandoned his Master, and denied that he even knows Jesus in order to save his own ass. Remember, this story is not really about a bunch of Jewish Palestinians who lived 2000 years ago, but is really about us and about our quest to find God in our own hearts. This story tells of the devotee of God who, when presented with the dark night of the soul, abandons the quest, denies his love for God, and returns to the material world. In fact, in the 21st chapter of John, we find that Peter and many of the other disciples have returned to their previous way of life (namely, making a living as fishermen) until they are reawakened by the appearance of the resurrected Christ.

We are Peter when we become bored with meditation, when our practice is dry and lacks experiences, and we decide that it might be more fun to play Gamecube or watch a movie before bed instead of praying and meditating. The best part of this story, however, is that from the ashes of his denial comes a new Peter, reawakened at Pentecost, and enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Like the Father in the tale of the Prodigal Son, Jesus will never deny us, no matter how many times we deny him. If we are sincere seekers, and we fall, He will be there to pick us up when we are ready to begin again. But he leaves it up to us. When we make the choice to return to Him, he is right there to help.