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 [pg 154] 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.