The Best of Intentions

Denial of St Peter
Caravaggio, 1603

Palm Sunday
Today’s Readings: Lk 19:28-40; Is 50:4-7; Ps 8; Phil 2:6-11; Lk 22:14-23:56

Near the beginning of the Passion narrative, which we just proclaimed, Jesus and his apostles are sitting around the Passover table. Maybe it’s the tension, but Peter is moved to blurt out his loyalty and love for Jesus. “Even if all the others desert you,” he says, “I never will. Lord, I am prepared to go to prison and die with you.”

Is that right? Jesus answers, “I tell you, Peter, before the cock crows this day, you will deny three times that you know me.”

You’ve probably heard a lot of sermons over the years criticizing Peter for his lack of adequate faith and courage. But let’s be honest for a moment. What would any of us have done if we were in Peter’s sandals? I’d like to think that I would never disown Jesus as Peter wound up doing around the fire in the courtyard of the high priest’s house. But I know we would be wise never to say never. Our words and promises can come back to haunt us. The best of intentions fail under pressure, fear, isolation, loneliness, and the threat of violence or personal harm.

I have no doubt that Peter had every intention of remaining loyal to Jesus when he spoke so zealously from the depth of his heart. And of course, the other disciples, bolstered by Peter’s words, also chimed in with their own pledges of support and loyalty. Yet all too soon, they all would run for their lives and abandon Christ to the mercy of his enemies.

Lest we feel too bad about ourselves, it’s important to remember that the followers of Jesus are only human. Along with Peter and the other apostles, we too might find ourselves experiencing the great temptation to play it safe and deny our spiritual loyalties in the face of ridicule or rejection. There are places in the world where those who identify with Christ might encounter physical danger, persecution and even death. And truthfully, when we’re afraid or at risk because of our personal beliefs, our survival instinct may kick in and be stronger than our earlier words of faithful allegiance.

Life is full of many good intentions. We boldly proclaim that we intend to stop smoking or drinking or overeating. We assure other people, and ourselves, that we’re going to exercise more and take better care of ourselves. We promise to remain absolutely faithful in our love and never experience a breakdown in our marriage. We pledge our help and loyalty to people and causes that are important to us—but when the going gets tough or inconvenient, maybe we fail to show up or don’t actually deliver on all the grandiose promises we made. Really, we mean to be helpful, but sometimes we just don’t think about what our promises will cost. Talk has always been cheap. Commitment, on the other hand, is costly and it requires endurance, resolve, and recurring rededication throughout our entire lives.

Despite how easy it was for Peter to blow it—and despite how easy it is for us, too, to fail in all kinds of commitments and promises—there is great hope in this corner of the gospel. I find it uplifting and joyful that Jesus thoroughly understands our human fallibility and the deepest motives of our hearts. No matter how often we fail, with God’s help, we can try and try again.

So the simple little message today is to never give up trying to live for Jesus. When we are faithless, he is always faithful. Learn from your past failures and confess them to the Lord. Peter offers us a great role model. Even though he denied Jesus, he was able to rededicate his life to the risen Christ and become a great leader in the early Church. Never underestimate God’s ability to transform our failures into divine success stories. May we just find the courage to recommit ourselves to him and start over again.