Playing Peter

At the Last Supper
Simon Peter wasn’t the only one appalled
by Jesus’ radical act of washing their feet,
but as expected,
this spokesman of the Twelve
was the one who spoke up and protested.

christ-washing-the-feet

Our Lord’s response to his protest was:
“If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.”

It was then that Simon Peter said to Jesus:
“Lord, not only my feet,
but also my hands and my head!”   (John 13:8-9)

And yet in just a few hours,
as the Lord had predicted himself,
Peter denied knowing Jesus three times
in order to save himself.

This business of following the Lord can get pretty tricky:
Even the best of followers–like Peter–sometimes fall.

That is why self-understanding is so crucial;
otherwise, we make mistakes and we fall short.

This retreat is a great opportunity for us
to try to understand ourselves better.
We all fall; we all sin,
but more than listing down our habitual or “favorite” sins,
it will be helpful to understand the roots of our sinfulness.

Recall our exercise earlier at the Pool of Siloam:
Which part of yourself did you decide to wash?

From the list of 7 Capital Vices or Deadly Sins,
you have already named your greatest weakness.
That is already a good start.

Now, each of the Capital Vices are grounded
in a human instinct “gone wild,”
basic needs and fears that have, for some reason,
become unmanageable.

Instincts, needs, and fears are all part of being human.
Without them, we can’t survive, and we can’t be completely human.

But as we know, things do go wrong in this world, and more often than not,
these basic instincts, needs, and fears get the better of us.
They begin to run our lives
and become the sources of our sinfulness.

What are the INSTINCTS, NEEDS, and FEARS
that may be the roots of my sinfulness?
What could be potential reasons for my denying the Lord
and falling short in my following of him?

Click on the Capital Vice that you picked earlier,
or the body part that you “washed” at Siloam:

1.  GLUTTONY (Γαστριμαργία): represented by an insatiable MOUTH.

2.  GREED (Φιλαργυρία): symbolized by a hoarding BELLY.

3.  SLOTH (Ἀκηδία): represented by a lazy HEART.

4.   ENVY (Λύπη): represented by a pair of jealous EYES.

5.  WRATH (Ὀργή): symbolized by HANDS that hurt others and one’s self.

6.  PRIDE (Ὑπερηφανία): represented by a CHIN held too high.

7.  LUST (Πορνεία): symbolized by a coveting MIND.

Make sure you choose one by clicking a link ABOVE.

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