Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Judas, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Later, Jesus went off three different times to pray and each time He returned, He found His disciples asleep. Even Peter, Jesus’s closest disciple, said, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.” Jesus said to him, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”
We too claim to follow Jesus and His teachings, but often turn our back on Him. There are times in our lives when we choose to ignore Jesus or deny His teachings to accomplish our own personal objectives. We all have our own weaknesses and tendencies towards sin. Every now and then, we should stop and contemplate the areas in our lives that cause us to deny Him.
Do we too often try to just live a comfortable existence without taking time for others or for God? Do we give into lustful thoughts and look at people as objects of pleasure instead of as children of God? Do we lie, cheat, or steal? Is our goal to have the best and to impress. Are we jealous when others have more than we do? Do we think that we are better than others? Do we lack patience and get angry very easily when things don’t go our way?
Though we may try to do good and follow God, we continually fall again and again. It’s almost impossible to navigate this life without getting some spiritual bruises and injuries. Both Judas and Peter denied Jesus. The difference is that Peter was remorseful and returned to Jesus and Judas gave into despair and threw in the towel.
God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He does expect us to show remorse when we sin and work towards not doing it again. When we practice virtue, we will become virtuous. It sometimes seems like we will never break free from our sin, but the more we practice good habits, the easier it will become. Never give up and great things will happen.
