Making Amends
Like Peter, we need to make amends to the best of our
ability for any cruel or disloyal words, and Jesus will gently but firmly help
us to take the initiative in doing this.
Peter's threefold
denial of Christ on the night of His Passion must have weighed so heavily on
his heart - the Gospels record (Luke 22:62), how, after the rooster crowed, and
Peter remembered Christ's prediction, he regretted his words and wept bitterly.
Surely, he would have wished with all his might that he had never said such
words of denial, and you and I probably have at least some inkling of his
anguish, because we can think of words of our own which we wish we had never
spoken!
The Gospels do not indicate
that Peter had the gumption to take the first step and apologize to Jesus. In
fact, there's no record of any of the apostles telling their resurrected Lord
how sorry they were for abandoning Him during His Passion. Jesus, however, did
not stand aloof and wait for them to apologize - instead, He took the
initiative, and appeared to them, and then even gently elicited a threefold
affirmation from Peter of his love, thereby helping Peter make amends for his
threefold denial.
You and I are like Peter,
because we've said things we wish we hadn't said, but we're also like Jesus,
because people have spoken words to us, or about us, which wounded with the
sharpness of betrayal and denial. Like Peter, we need to make amends to the
best of our ability for any cruel or disloyal words, and Jesus will gently but
firmly help us to take the initiative in doing this. Likewise, even though
wounded pride would have us forever waiting aloof for those who have hurt us to
make the first move toward reconciliation, following Jesus, the more
Christ-like attitude is to magnanimously provide an opportunity for bitter
words to be buried with better words.