Betrayal
As their eyes met, one felt shame, the other gratitude.
One felt fear, the other love.
One was horrified, the other relieved.
United in the pain of seeing a loved one suffer.
Who wouldn’t give their life to save a most dear one?
When we imagine Jesus feeling abandoned and
crushed by Peter’s denial,
when we interpret Jesus’s three questions
as the path for reparations,
we deny the love of Jesus for Peter and for us.
We always sensed an easy connection with Peter’s shame,
and now we can truly understand why.