In relation to today's gospel, the quote from one of the saints, a contemporary saint comes
to mind, St. Jose Maria Escriva, used to say that to begin is for everyone, but to persevere
is for saints. It's easy to begin, but it takes heroic virtue to persevere in the good
that we begin. It takes heroic virtue to constantly do the good that we have proposed to do. To
propose it, to resolve it, to try, that's easy, that's for beginners, that's for everyone,
but again, to persevere in that, that's what the saints are made of. Now that comes to
mind in relation to today's gospel because St. Peter today, we begin rather the scene today,
which will culminate with St. Peter three times professing his love for the Lord. In anticipation
of that, we can already apply the words of St. Jose Maria Escriva. So St. Peter now,
is sitting, standing, whatever the disciples were doing around this charcoal fire,
which reminds us of that charcoal fire just a few days earlier around which St. Peter was
sitting with other people and in front of which Peter denied our Lord. Sitting around the fire,
interrogated, Peter denied our Lord. Now our Lord gives Peter around this charcoal fire,
the opportunity to profess his love for him three times. Our Lord gives him three opportunities to
make up for his denial, three opportunities to make reparation. As many times as he fell,
he must get up. He fell not once, but three times, so three times our Lord expects him to profess his
love in place of his denial. Now we, again this applies to us, that example from the life of
St. Peter applies to us because as many times as we fall, we must likewise get up. As many times
as we deny our Lord by our sins, our Lord will give us opportunities to make reparation and to
profess our love for him by our opposite acts of the virtues. And our Lord in this way, again
applying this or connecting this with that statement with that quote from St. Josemaria Escriva,
teaches us that again to begin is for everyone. Peter began and professed his love for our Lord,
but then fell and that's where heroic virtue had to kick in. He had to get up after having fallen
and he fell three times and even more than that actually we know later on in the New Testament,
Peter messes up again. As many times as he messes up, he has to re-profess his love for our Lord.
As many times as we fail, we must get up and profess our love again and again and again and
again and again and perseveringly do that throughout life. That's what the saints are made of. It's not
enough just to have contrition, we must look for opportunities to make reparation. It's not enough
to be sorry for sin, we must look for the chances to actually do the opposite of our sin, to console
the heart of our Lord after having grieved him and he gives us these opportunities in life again
and again and again. To begin, that's for everyone to persevere. That is for the saints and it gives
our Lord great consolation to see such persevere and trust in us. To see our sins not as the end of
everything, but rather to be contrite for our sins, but to immediately then look for opportunities
to make reparation. As many times as we've sinned, to get up for all the evil that we've done to make
reparation. That is what the saints are made of. That is what consoles our Lord and that is, I think,
one of the lessons of today's liturgy for all of us. Praise be Jesus and Mary.