By Father Rich Tomkosky
One of the famous passages in the letters of Saint Paul is when Saint Paul is acknowledging his human weakness to the Lord and asking Him to take it away, and the Lord’s response is not what we would expect. He says to Saint Paul, “My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection.”
And so, from that revelation, Saint Paul goes on to say: “And so, I willingly boast of my weaknesses instead that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I am content with weakness, with mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ; for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong (from 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).”
It is important to keep this in mind when we ponder how Jesus dealt with Peter after the Resurrection when the Lord gave Peter a new start in light of his three denials on Holy Thursday.
One of the biggest battles in the spiritual life is how to deal with our sins and weaknesses of character. The Lord can’t really help us if we refuse to acknowledge that we are sinners who struggle daily with various sins, problems, frailties, and weaknesses; and it is only by trusting in Jesus that we can be transformed in holiness over time.
Peter was not a saint when he denied he knew Jesus three times. His pride and self-will were too great at that point, and so he fell into the very spiritual trap that Jesus told him he was going to, while still at the Last Supper. Amazing!
All of us feel overwhelmed at times; whatever our vocation in life is, be it in our home life or work life or in social settings. Demands are made on us that sometimes in all honesty we can’t fulfill properly; and yet in our pride we sometimes promise things we should know we can’t really deliver – until we grow in humility and rely on God more in prayer and self-surrender.
Those of you who are in the vocation of marriage know all the stresses that come with it. Living with another person, your spouse over time, is not always easy even if you are compatible; and then if God blesses you with children, that just adds to the challenge, as well as the beauty of those relationships and responsibilities. And some days, you just do the best you can, hopefully relying increasingly on the Lord’s promised vocational graces and Our Lady and Saint Joseph’s intercession for us, to grow in holiness in the battle of daily life; and trying not to get discouraged when we fail sometimes to do what we intend to do. Sometimes it’s our fault, but sometimes it is out of our control.
I deal with that all the time as a Pastor, especially with the increasing shortage of priests in our diocese. I intend to call or visit someone and then a bunch of unexpected things are thrust upon me, so I’m not able to do it that day or sometimes even for a while, but the key is: don’t give up: eventually get to that good thing you are intending to do with the Lord’s help. Remember the Lord’s grace and power is made perfect in our weakness.
When we fall like Peter did; it should rightly humble us and hopefully change us long-term. When we fail at something one day, one week, or one year, or for decades with struggles/sins of various sorts, as long as we regularly turn to the Lord and ask him for forgiveness and to strengthen us, He will – in ways often we don’t even see and won’t know until we get into eternity. That’s where the daily act of contrition and many acts of Faith, Hope and Love, and the regular reception of the Sacrament of Confession are so helpful.
As I’ve said before, sometimes God lets us struggle with one thing, so we don’t fall into something worse. Obviously, God wants to get us out of any mortal sins, as He doesn’t want us to lose our souls forever, but He does allow us to struggle sometimes with defects of character to teach us to rely on Him more over time and grow in humility.
But sometimes a miraculous transformation happens in a person. That is where the importance of that second conversion comes in. Peter was changed after the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost. No longer was he a coward, but now He boldly proclaimed the reality of Jesus’ Resurrection and the saving truth of the Catholic faith.
It’s amazing to read Peter’s two letters in the New Testament which were written years after Jesus has ascended back to the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Peter is a completely changed man from the guy who denied Jesus three times. You can sense the peace and the confidence he now has in God rather than himself. That’s what the Lord wants for all of us.
When we are discouraged by our sins/weaknesses and the imperfections of others and life in this world, let’s turn to the Lord and ask for His help and for the special intercession of Our Lady and Saint Joseph and our favorite saints. We will make progress in holiness over time, but we must be humble and realistic in knowing that it takes time for us to grow, as well as for the people we care about – desiring their salvation in the Lord. Peter and Paul are now both Saints. Lord, help us daily to cooperate in the process of becoming your new saints. God bless you.
Father Rich Tomkosky is the Pastor of Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish in Bedford and the Pastor of Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Beans Cove.
