I suspect a lot of us can identify with the apostle Peter in our lives today: we want the very best for our families and friends. When he hears of Jesus speaking of the pain and suffering that going to Jerusalem will bring, Peter, as a good friend, urges him not to go forward—he wanted to ensure the safety and well-being of his friend. None of us willingly want our loved ones to suffer, and we would do anything to alleviate their pain. This has been the unconscious mission of so many of us during this pandemic—we would never want anything to cause harm. We have made sacrifices, as once again we pour sanitiser onto our hands and wear inconvenient masks for our trip to the supermarket. For personal health and safety, and for the good of others, we have been asked to take a life-saving vaccination. The majority of the population have taken the jabs—even though it might be a little awkward. Here is the crucial key: we are being asked to live life in a way that is inconvenient, for the greater good. We are asked to live a lifestyle now that we would have thought inconceivable just two years ago. In many ways taking the vaccination can be seen as a pro-life issue. Taking the two recommended vaccines and the booster is a very simple way of supporting the community. Across the whole spectrum of life issues, we are invited to be consistent, as we listen to the wisdom of St John Paul II:

To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop.

In the gospel account of this wonderful friend of Jesus, we see him being promoted to the "top of the class" of the Apostles because of his affirmation of faith! Peter recognised and articulated who Jesus was: "the Son of the Living God." As the story progresses, Jesus sees Peter as the ROCK who becomes SATAN, the evil one—he goes from hero to zero in such a short time! It would be much easier for Jesus not to travel to Jerusalem but following Jesus is not about choosing the 'easy' way. Peter is seen as a 'satani': those ankle breakers or stumbling blocks that are seen, often at the edge of a desert. Jesus wants to see Peter behind him: Peter is the stumbling block to the progress that Jesus needs to make—even though it will cause pain, hurt, suffering and death. However, that journey to Calvary, strongly, draws us deeper in the bubble of God's love. The martyr of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, St Maximilian Kolbe reminds us that the 'the cross in the school of love'

Just like so many of us, Peter has to learn the hard way that following Jesus involves taking up the cross that life offers you. All of us will have to take up crosses we would rather ignore: the illness of a child, the passing of a loved one, the betrayal of someone you trust, being ignored, being pushed 'under the bus'. by people you trust—the list can go on. Indeed, these past two years have been a hard cross for so many of us to bare. We have all been in this together, sharing the problems of lockdown and learning to adapt in the very new normal that we are growing slowly into.

However, even in the cross and difficulty of a global pandemic, we have learnt so much: we have grown closer and have built a stronger community. The CROSS, embraced fully, can help each of us to discover our hidden reservoirs of strength and talent. We are called not to be stumbling blocks to others: through our word and actions we can cause others to fall. The example of Peter is the challenge to give up our selfishness and see a bigger picture. Peter is that all too 'wobbly rock' on which our Church is built—we do not live in the perfection that, I believe, heaven will offer. Peter's journey reminds us that we share a humanity that will have to take risks—risks that will fail spectacularly. However, some risks will lead us to glory and redemption: we can bring new life to others.

A couple of years ago I received an amazing gift of a cross from very special friends—it sits on my desk as a constant reminder of the challenge offered by the cross. Instead of the usual figure of the broken and beaten Jesus, there are three heart symbols at the centre. I like to see this as the ultimate love of the Trinity in the action of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. Today Jesus reminds Peter, his Apostles and the whole Church that we need to move forward in that spirit of an unconditional love that is all-embracing. As you gaze of the cross today, just realise how loved and appreciated you are. In this coming week, can you share that love and avoid being a 'satani' or stumbling block to others? In 'No Man is an Island', Thomas Merton reminds us

To know the Cross is not merely to know our own sufferings. For the Cross is the sign of salvation, and no man is saved by his own sufferings. To know the Cross is to know that we are saved by the sufferings of Christ; more, it is to know the love of Christ Who endured suffering and death in order to save us. It is, then, to know Christ.

Author & Image: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB