Peter and Me

I am Peter the Fisherman.

His past is mine:

That of self-reliance;

That of religious emptiness.

I am Peter the Arrogant.

His weakness is mine:

That of thinking I know best;

That of “No Lord.”

I am Peter the Betrayer.

His failure is mine:

That of overestimating my own strength;

That of loving myself most.

I am Peter the Suffering.

His pain is mine:

That of deep regret;

That of hurting my Lord.

I am Peter the Broken.

His sickness is mine:

That of a deceitful heart;

That of desperate weakness.

I am Peter the Blessed.

His salvation is mine:

That of valiant rescue;

That of unearned mercy.

I am Peter the Tutored.

May his lessons be mine:

That of knowing Whom I serve;

That of “Yes Lord.”

I am Peter the Forgiven.

May His joy be mine:

That of glorious freedom;

That of embracing today.

I am Peter the Loved.

May his passion be mine:

That of seeing myself in the outcast;

That of pointing them to the Lover.

I am Peter the Radical.

May his commitment be mine:

That of utter abandonment;

That of resolutely honoring God.

I am Peter the Redeemed.

May his mission be mine:

That of feeding beloved sheep;

That of offering hope to all men.

I am Peter the Valiant.

May his strength be mine:

That of Christ in me;

That of love without fear.

I am Peter the Humble.

May his transformation be mine:

That of a sincere heart;

That of loving God more than myself.

Patti McCarthy Broderick

December 2012