Mtr Mary Trainor

Dear friend,

Peter gives me cause to feel just a little bit better about myself. More than once in the Gospels, including today’s, he rushes to impress the Teacher with claims that we will soon recognize as little more than hot air.

If I’m honest, when I am reminded of how clueless this Rock of the Church seems to be at times, it takes some pressure off of me. He’s the first to blurt out answers. In one case he tells Jesus, “you’ll never touch my feet,” but when Jesus explains what it means, he offers everything for washing.…

In today’s Gospel he denies that he will deny Jesus. We know how that turns out.

Peter gets stuck in misperception. He cannot always size up the proper dimension of what is going on. Every last one of us does that, too.

***

In the early days of my family’s garden business, we struggled hard to take in enough each day just for that day’s needs.

So we countered that reality with an ad campaign. We had a big weekend planned. One of our advertised loss leaders was a 10-foot bale of peat moss. We nearly sold out. By Monday morning there was only one bale left.

Around 10 am that next day a nice sedan drove up and two well-dressed men came in to see if we had any of the 10-foot bales left. They paid the bill, we loaded the bale in their car. They turned around, flashed badges, saying we would be getting a court date for fraudulent advertising. That what they purchased was not a 10-foot bale, but rather 3.5 cubic foot bag 

After weeks and weeks, and lots of money spent, we won in court because the court determined there actually were 10 cubic feet of usable peat moss, compressed into that 3.5 cubic bag.

No consumer was defrauded. The Los Angeles County Department of Weights and Measures had to stand down.

***

Peter often got stuck where all of us do. In relation to God, we can fail to grasp the proper size of a problem or a gift.

We ourselves may only seem to others as small. But in God’s eyes, we are a full 10 cubic feet and more.

Mtr Mary