Monday, March 21, 2011

Lent 2011: Fourth Station of the Cross

Peter denied Jesus.
Fourth Station of the Cross
Luke 22: 56 - 57 Then a servant-girl, seeing Peter in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.” But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him
.”

Why did Peter deny Jesus? Because he was afraid.
Fear startles us in the middle of the night and keeps us awake for hours. It prevents us from reaching for our dreams or from reaching out to others in love. Fear cripples our souls and binds our hearts. It locks us in prison and throws away the key.

What is the remedy for such fear? It is in trusting God, believing the Word of Christ. It is in knowing what divine love is, because of what Jesus did for me on the Via Dolorosa, the way of grief, that fear is conquered.
Not through rationalization or mind-control, but by leaning more fully into the loving care of God and knowing that he will never let us go.

Prayer: Forgive me, dear Lord, when I let fear get in the way of my relationship with you. Forgive me for all the times I have fallen short in my discipleship, because I've been afraid. Forgive me for failing to trust you when you've proven yourself to be completely worthy of my trust. Amen.

No comments: