August 09, 2019
(April 14, 2019) Lectionary: 37/38
by Thomas Gette
Adults: When have you felt that you betrayed the confidence of another, as Peter did when he denied Jesus?
Children: When have you let someone down who trusted you? How did you feel?
Have you ever witnessed the protest of a child who was promised something that he or she did not receive?
When a promise of “you can have dessert once you eat dinner,” doesn’t result in dessert, a tantrum is likely! Children have a natural ability to trust, but when that trust is broken, they have an equally natural ability to express how hurt they are.
The close relationships we build in our lives naturally contain this element of trust. Our inclination is to take each other at our word. In a healthy marriage, for example, a husband and wife leave no room for doubt at the other’s words or actions – there is simply an innocent assumption that they would never betray each other, where even gossip and rumors are easily dismissed as untrue.
It is a very normal and natural human thing to invest this trust in others, especially in those with whom we have an intimate bond, which is precisely why betraying another’s confidence in us is such a troubling affair.
The story of Peter’s threefold denial of Jesus helps us see how even God puts this kind of confidence and trust in us. As Jesus was being scourged and beaten on his way to the crucifixion, he also was inflicted with a deep wound by his friend and follower denying him.
When we commit our lives to God, it is much the same as any of our human relationships. God expects fidelity; God expects us to follow him and live for him wholeheartedly. Thus, it pains God when we break that trust and harm our relationship with him. We, of course, call this breaking of God’s trust sin, and we can envision each betrayal as another wound endured by Christ on Good Friday.
However, there is good news that lies precisely in why we call that infamous day “Good” Friday. Jesus endured the pains of suffering and death in order to conquer it. It is a loud message to us that at any cost he wants to free us from our sins and repair our relationship with him.
Saint Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:13, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful.” No matter what we do (even denying Jesus as did Peter), God remains as the only one in our lives who will not betray us. God is always there, waiting for us to have a change of heart.
Our human relationships might not be as straightforward as this, as we are not able to forgive with God’s capacity, but Jesus nevertheless is our model to imitate. If someone betrays our trust, we learn from Jesus to offer forgiveness and allow others the chance to rebuild our trust in them.
On the flip side, if we betray someone’s trust (like Peter in denying Jesus), we must learn to seek forgiveness, fix our mistake and rebuild trust.
Ironically, we shouldn’t be surprised when betrayal happens. We are fallen humans after all. But the Gospel is here to teach us how to respond with love and mercy at life’s sometimes unfortunate inevitabilities.
Thomas Gette is a family man with a passion for the domestic Church. He holds master’s degrees from both Franciscan University and the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium.