Dear Friend, 

Reflection by Dawid Malik

Charcoal Fire

“I do not know the man!” Again, he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that,  he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately a cock crowed  (Mt. 26:69-74). Could it be that Peter actually denied Jesus—and three times?  This Peter, head of the apostles who confessed that the Lord Jesus is the long expected, promised Messiah? How was it possible? What happened to his heart that he would change from being zealous to being cowardly?  Was he influenced by fear? Did he anticipate a different plan of salvation?

How often do we deny the Lord Jesus by our sins? What happens in our lives that we can quickly find excuses or self-indulgence? There are many answers, and we all have to find meaning in our own hearts. The example of St. Peter shows that we can all experience temptations, and often at the most unexpected times.

The Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu is located on the eastern side of Mount Zion, outside the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is dedicated to the episode of the Denial of Peter. It is rare that a church is dedicated to any specific event of a saint's history. Usually, a church is just dedicated to a particular venerated saint in general. However, this very important moment of life of St. Peter received its own church.

The moment of the Denial of Peter has to be reflected in the mirror of his meeting Jesus after the resurrection on the seashore of the Sea of Galilee. It is very interesting that this setting is where Peter meets his Risen Master. “When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire” (Jn. 21:9).  In the original language, the words, “charcoal fire,” also are used in the moment of Peter’s denial. We read in the Gospel of John: “Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire that they had made, because it was cold, and were warming themselves. Peter was also standing there keeping warm” (Jn. 18:18). Now, on the Sea of Galilee, the Lord Jesus is taking St. Peter to another charcoal fire to give him a chance to confess his love. Three times St. Peter denied Lord Jesus and three times he confessed his love to him. The night of fear, confusion, and weakness changed into a morning of hope, faith, and charity.

During this Lenten time, the Lord Jesus through his Church repeats the same question which he said to St. Peter: “Do you love me?” And the Church gives a very special way to answer the Lord’s question. “Do you love me?” Pray! “Do you love me?” Fast. “Do you love me?”  Give alms! But we have to remember to do all because of love, not because of human appearance. May each of our acts be out of love to Lord Jesus.

Prayer is simply talking with God. Did we deny the Lord Jesus by forgetting about him? Come, let us pray! Let us talk with God! Did we deny the Lord Jesus by a lack of self-control? Come, let us fast! It can be done in various ways. Withdrawing from favorite food, social media, and the internet cleans the heart and mind and lets us draw closer to the Lord Jesus. Did we deny Jesus by an unhealthy attachment to material things? Come, let us share our money and resources with people in need. May our deeds of mercy be a sign of our love for the Lord Jesus. No matter how much we deny the Lord Jesus, we are always invited to another encounter, another spiritual “charcoal fire” that gives us an opportunity to confess our love for Christ. May these final days of Lent be fruitful for each of us. God bless you! Amen.

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Dawid Malik is a Third Theology seminarian for the Diocese of Metuchen.