Saint Peter was a simple fisherman but then Jesus called him and Peter followed!  Peter became the leader of the apostles and the very first Pope.  There are many beautiful stories about Saint Peter.  He was one of the witnesses of the Transfiguration of Jesus; Peter witnessed many of Jesus’ miracles first-hand; and he even walked on water!  Peter was also present during the Agony in the Garden.  Saint Peter was one of the first to proclaim that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

Many of us might identify closely to Peter because he was often impulsive, reckless, or confused.  He was truly human!  There is a beautiful quote saying,

“God does not call the qualified.  He qualifies the called.”

Peter may not have seemed qualified but Jesus sees deeper than humans do.  We often see only others’ surface value.  Jesus sees deep into our hearts.  Peter may have failed often, he even denied Jesus – three times – but in the end, however, he remained steadfast to Jesus, whom he loved very much, and eventually died a martyr.  The Romans were going to crucify Peter, but when he realized this, he asked them to crucify him upside down because he did not think he was worthy to die in the exact same way as Jesus!

How good God is!  He knows our hearts and if we turn to Him in repentance, just as Peter did, we will find mercy and healing.  Jesus waits for us with open arms and asks us all with Peter, “Who do you say that I am?” and “Do you love me?”  Let us always answer with Peter, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” and “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  With these two confessions comes the responsibility to live our lives for Jesus and, if necessary, give our lives for Him.

Saint Peter, Pray for us

Activities to do at home:

Say or write your own prayer to Saint Peter.

Write a prayer to Jesus.

Read a story from the Bible with Saint Peter in it.