Custody of the Eyes

When Peter saw [the disciple beloved of the Lord], he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”-- John 21:21-22 (NAB)

I've been realizing lately that I share a character trait with St. Peter, and unfortunately, it's not one of his virtues. :-/ Both St. Peter and I tend to get distracted by what's going on around us.

Everyone knows how, when Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind and the waves, he started to sink (cf Mt. 14:28-31). But he wasn't distracted only by the circumstances around him. He was also distracted by what the Lord had in store for other people. After Jesus told him in veiled terms the manner of death that he would die, Peter asks, "What about John?" Jesus in essence tells him, "Mind your own business!" (cf Jn. 21:18-23)

Peter was also distracted by what people would think of him, as evidenced by his denial of Jesus at the questioning of the bystanders during the trial, one of the few details of the Passion that is reported in all four Gospels. His tendency to be distracted because of what other people think was a weakness even after Pentecost. As St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, "Before certain men came from James, he [Cephas, or Peter] ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party." (Gal. 2:12) It took a public rebuke from Paul to get Peter back on track.

I find some comfort in knowing that Peter struggled with this weakness even after Pentecost, because I, too, after years of following the Lord in the power of the Spirit, still get distracted by circumstances, by people's opinions, by what's going on with others, and a host of other things.  I know, though, that ultimately, Peter overcame his weaknesses through God's grace and his own humble perseverance and laid down his life in witness to the One he loved. I can turn to Peter for prayer support when I get distracted in so many ways, knowing that he understands.

Dear St. Peter, thank you for persevering in spite of your weaknesses in following Our Lord. When my eyes wander, please help me by your prayers to keep them fixed on Jesus. Amen.

Divine self-effacement

"Behold, the Lamb of God. ... He must increase; I must decrease." -- John 1:36; 3:30

St. John the Baptist, in his great humility, didn't draw attention to himself, but always pointed to the Lamb of God, Jesus. This aspect of St. John the Baptist reminds me of this passage from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"Now God's Spirit, who reveals God, makes known to us Christ, his Word, his living Utterance, but the Spirit does not speak of himself. The Spirit who 'has spoken through the prophets' makes us hear the Father's Word, but we do not hear the Spirit himself. We know him only in the movement by which he reveals the Word to us and disposes us to welcome him in faith. The Spirit of truth who 'unveils' Christ to us 'will not speak on his own.' [Jn 16:13] Such properly divine self-effacement explains why 'the world cannot receive [him], because it neither sees him nor knows him,' while those who believe in Christ know the Spirit because he dwells with them. [Jn 14:17]" (CCC 687)

Dear Lord Jesus, St. John the Baptist shared deeply in the "divine self-effacement" of the Holy Spirit. May all of us present-day Elijahs be, like St. John the Baptist, people of the Holy Spirit, pointing always to Jesus. Amen.