Tuesday, March 26 : Saint Francis de Sales

One of the apostles, Saint Peter, greatly wronged his Master, for he denied and swore he never knew him and, not content with that, cursed and blasphemed against him, protesting that he did not know who he was (Mt 26,69f.). What a fall was this, which pierced the heart of our Lord! Alas, poor Saint Peter, what are you doing? What are you saying? You don’t know who he is, you don’t know him? You who were called to be an apostle by his own mouth, who confessed him to be the Son of the living God? (Mt 16,16). Oh, wretched man that you are, how could you dare to say you do not know him? Was it not he who, only recently, was at your feet washing them (Jn 13,6), who fed you with his own Body and Blood?… So let no one rely on their good works and think they have nothing more to fear, since Saint Peter, who had received so many graces and had vowed to accompany our Lord to prison and even to death itself, nevertheless denied him at the mere whisper of a chambermaid. Hearing the cock crow, Saint Peter recollected what he had done and what his good Master had said to him and then, realizing his fault, he went out and wept so bitterly that, on this account, he received a full, plenary indulgence and remission for all his sins. O blessed Saint Peter who, through such contrition for your faults, have received a general forgiveness for such great disloyalty… I am very certain it was our Lord’s holy look that pierced his heart and opened his eyes to make him recognize his sin (Lk 22,61)… From that time on he never stopped weeping, above all when he heard the cock crow at night and in the morning… In this way, from being a great sinner he became a great saint.
Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team