A Reflection for Saturday of the Third Week of Easter
Find today’s readings here.
Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go?”
It is fitting that in these days when all eyes turn to Rome to watch the election of our new pope to have a selection of readings that so well capture the transformation of Simon Peter from simple Galilean fisherman to the rock on which Jesus builds his church.
For much of the Gospels, we see Peter as flawed, slow to understand and brash. The Peter who sinks in the sea, who tries to stay on the mountain top, who refuses to accept his Lord’s prediction of death.
In today’s Gospel, Peter is contrasted with the disciples who cannot accept the “hard teaching” of Jesus and “returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him.”
What is that hard teaching? This exchange comes after John’s Bread of Life discourse, and the great New Testament scholar Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., says it “may refer to Jesus’ realistic and even crude language about eating his flesh and drinking his blood (6:51-58). Or it may concern the exalted claims made earlier by Jesus to be the bread of life and his promise of eternal life.”
That is, this hard teaching is the very heart of our faith, and we all have to choose whether we will accept it.
When Jesus put that choice to the Twelve, Peter delivers what to me is one of the most memorable lines in Scripture:
“Master, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
We have come to believe
and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
The first question reminds us of the old Peter, often questioning, not fully understanding. If his response ended there, it would seem to say: I don’t really believe this whole “bread of life” thing, but I’ve looked around at the options and this promise of eternal life seems like the best bet. For many of us in this very human institution we call the church, this is a relatable sentiment. Yes, the church is flawed, at times deeply so, but if I believe in the sacraments, where else can I go?
Peter does not stop with a question this time, but confidently asserts his belief that Jesus truly is “the Holy One of God.”
“Do you also want to leave?” is a question we all must answer. No one is forcing us to stay here. But, if we, like Peter, have come to believe, “staying here” never means staying put.
In today’s first reading, we see where Peter’s choice leads him. Traveling “through every region” of the young and growing church, Peter carries on Jesus’ healing ministry. He heals Aeneas, a paralyzed man, and raises from the dead, Tabitha, a disciple known for good works. In both cases he tells them to “get up” or “rise up,” linking these healings to Christ’s resurrection.
Like Peter we are called to go out and heal others, whether they are wounded by poverty, isolation or sin. While we cannot raise the dead, we can choose to bring light and life to situations where darkness and despair reign. We can share in Peter’s confidence that through the risen Christ, sin and death do not have the final word.
