COVER REFLECTION
St. Peter:
The Authentic Character
Written by: Mr. Antonius Nahak
Music Teacher at SMP - SMA St. Peter Jakarta
If we take a closer look at how St. Peter is portrayed in many episodes
throughout the Gospel narratives, we may wonder as to why we
should suppose Christ to have founded His Church on such a man.
H
istory has a tendency to write about
its heroes in a good light, whereas St.
Peter, “our hero”, is often depicted in his
frailties: “On one occasion when he saw Jesus
coming out to the disciples, walking on the
water, Peter took a few steps towards Jesus
on the water but fear and doubt then made
him sink”; on another, Jesus rebuked him and
called him “Satan” for trying to dissuade Jesus
from the path of suffering and death; Having
told Jesus he would never deny him, he fails
even to stay awake and pray with Him for an
hour, before proceeding to deny Him three
times.
Nevertheless, we ought to remember that,
as far as the ‘walking on the water’ scene is
concerned, though fear and doubt made him
sink, ‘Peter was the only one to try’. Also,
though being rebuked as Satan, moments
earlier he was the one to recognise Jesus as
the Messiah. Though he denied Jesus thrice,
he came to grips with his frailties, and then
4
professed his deepest loyalty when Jesus
commissioned him with the task of feeding His
sheep.
Rather than portraying “our hero” in a
turgid way, the Gospel narratives acknowledge
Peter’s frailties. Still, the narratives, at the
same time, recognise the “sparks” within him.
This is to say that Peter is often depicted in his
‘authentic self’. It is not a mistake therefore
that Jesus has founded his Church on Peter,
a character that is authentic, thus worthy of
trust.
Food for thought:
St. Peter had to come to terms with his
frailties before at length showing his deepest
loyalty to Jesus. What we may learn from the
saint’s experience is:
‘the time we become aware of our frailties
we are just moments away from discovering
the sparks” within us.’
***