Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, etc., etc.
Twenty‐first Day.
Peter, the great disciple of Jesus, he to whom the Lord had given so much,
whom He had brought to Mount Thabor, for whom He paid taxes as for
Himself; this Peter denied His Master. When Our Lord had been apprehended,
Peter followed from afar, to see what would be the end of all this
tragedy. He went on at some distance from Our Lord, until he reached the
courtyard, where he could see all that was passing. There, among the
soldiers, servants, and curiosity‐seekers, he stood, as if he had no
interest in the affair except that which would bring any stranger there.
They would not have known him, only for a woman who sat in such a way that
the light fell on Peter’s face, and she immediately declared, “This man
was with Him.” But Peter denied that fact; another and a third asserted
that Peter was with Christ, for he was a Galilean—but Peter denied the
accusation with an oath.
Prayer.
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, etc., etc.
Twenty‐second Day.
We ought, right here, to think of the reasons of the terrible treason of
Peter. We may suppose that his crime was no smaller than was that of
Judas. We know what was the fate of Judas—what will be the fate of Peter?
The cause of Peter’s fall was his presumption. He imagined that he was
strong enough to go to heaven, and to lead a good life without watching or
praying—of course he would go to prison or death with Jesus. Instead of
following the Lord closely, right among the soldiers who apprehended Him,
he followed a long way off, giving as an excuse that he wished to see the
outcome of the affair. He follows, and places himself in the very occasion
of sin. He knew he could not be there long without being detected, but he
resolved to deny, and even to take false oaths to secure himself.
Prayer.
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, etc., etc.
Twenty‐third Day.
When Peter had thus, with indescribable meanness, denied Our Lord, Jesus
turned and gave him a look of compassion. Then Peter recollected the words
of Jesus, that before the cock would crow he would have denied Him thrice.
Great was the sorrow in the heart of Peter after this look; he remembered
himself, and filled with shame walked out and wept bitterly. This look
which the Lord gave Peter was merciful and kind; so loving that it drew
him back again from the sin into which he had fallen; it encouraged him to
look for forgiveness, and did not drive him to despair. Judas too
acknowledged his sin, but he felt no repentance; he despaired of the great
kindness of God. Instead of throwing himself at the feet of Jesus, he
committed another crime—that of suicide. To Peter came a flood of tears.
There is no doubt that his sorrow for this great offence lasted all his
lifetime; he could not think of the circumstance but the picture of his
infidelity arose before him.
Prayer.
Look down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, etc., etc.
Twenty‐fourth Day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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