punishment which they had drawn down on us. Thank your Redeemer for His unbounded love, and prove, this very day, by your patience and gentleness, that you love Him in return.
Every wilful sin we commit is, so to speak, a blow struck on the Face of our Divine Lord. Whenever you are on the point of sinning, your conscience says to you: “Do not do it! God has forbidden it!” But then, perhaps, you reply: “All the same I will do it. What is it to me that God has forbidden it!” Do you not see that to act in this way is to strike the Face of God with a blow? And if you go on to commit the sin really, those words of our Blessed Lord are in truth addressed to you: “Why strikest thou Me?” O Lord Jesus, for love of Thee, I will never more commit a wilful sin!
Chapter LXXII.
THE DENIAL AND REPENTANCE OF PETER. — THE DESPAIR OF JUDAS.
[Mat. 26, 69. Mark 14, 66. Luke 22, 55. John 18, 15.]
PETER and John had followed Jesus at a distance, even to the house of the High Priest, in order to see the end[1]. In the court-yard there was a fire [2], which Peter approached to warm himself. While there, Peter was noticed by one of the maidservants of the High Priest. She looked at him, and said: “This man also[3] was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Peter denied Him, saying: “Woman, I know Him not[4].” Immediately the cock crew.
After a little while a man, coming to Peter, exclaimed: “Thou also art one of them.” But Peter said: “O man, I am not.” Now, after the space of an hour, a certain servant saw Peter, and pointing him out to the others, affirmed: “Surely, thou art also one of them,
- ↑ To see the end. St. John was known to the household of Caiphas, on which account the woman at the door let him in by the gate which was closed to the crowd outside; and at his request she also admitted Peter. After this, John left the house to go and tell all that had occurred to the Mother of Jesus, but Peter remained in the outer court to watch the issue of the examination.
- ↑ A fire. The nights in the spring are very cold in Palestine.
- ↑ Also. i. e. he as well as John.
- ↑ I know Him not. He feared that he might be arrested and condemned on account of being our Lord’s disciple. After this challenge, Peter, although the servants paid no further attention to the woman’s words, thought it more prudent to leave the court, and went and stood by the door.
