St. Peter is my favorite Apostle. I’m not just saying that because he’s the first Pope and I want to impress my boss; I say that because I mean it.  I love St. Peter because he gives me hope.  Last weekend Jesus asked the really hard question, “who do you say that I am?” To which Peter responded, “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Since he was correct, Jesus praised him and made him the first Pope before Peter had any idea what that meant.  But now this week, which is literally seconds after Jesus praises Peter and gives him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, Peter gets it all wrong and Jesus calls him Satan.  

    I relate so much to St. Peter.  There are days that I’m feeling on cloud nine because I’ve done the Lord’s work ministering to various people, I made some good choices in eating healthy, I got myself to the gym, I finished a book, or received a compliment from a parishioner and it feels great.  I know God loves me and that he is pleased with me as one of his priests.  Then there are days where I remember that I’m the biggest sinner in Chicago, if not the world, and I get extremely frustrated with myself and eventually the Church because I keep screwing up and going back to those same sins over and over again.  This is why Peter gives me hope; because, if Jesus can still use Peter regardless of how much he screws up, then Jesus can still use me.  Jesus can still use you.  

    Friends, the hardest part about being a disciple of Jesus isn’t coming to Mass on Sunday, it isn’t giving up meat on Friday’s in Lent, it isn’t even the Catholic guilt many of us suffer from.  The hardest part about being a disciple of Jesus is at the heart of today’s Gospel: “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”  Suffering is the hardest part about being a disciple of Jesus.  I think today’s culture is the most fearful of suffering than any other in history.  Just look at the recent debates and laws surrounding euthanasia.  We actually have a growing population of people who would rather die than suffer.  They would rather end their life than suffer through an illness that won’t kill them.  

    How many different pain relief medications exist so that we won’t suffer minor aches and pains?  How often in our movies and television shows do characters turn to alcohol, drugs, and/or sex to distract themselves from whatever suffering they are experiencing.  How many of us do the exact same thing?

    It’s hard to accept; but, suffering is part of our lives.  All of us have suffered from something, will soon suffer through something, or are currently experiencing some sort of suffering.  You can’t run away from it.  Yet, we always try to run.  That’s where Peter got it wrong in our Gospel today.  Jesus knows that he has to suffer the Cross to save us from sin and death.  Peter, thinking as humans do instead of God, tries to tell Jesus he can run from that suffering.  Peter doesn’t want to suffer and he doesn’t want to Jesus suffer.  As kind and thoughtful as that is, Peter misses the point that suffering is part of the kingdom he just received the keys to.  

    So, what do we do about it?  Here’s what we don’t do, we don’t sit and complain about suffering being part of our lives.  The more we sit and complain means we lose time to make something good out of the suffering we find ourselves in.  So, stop complaining.  Instead of complaining, make your suffering redemptive like Jesus did.  When you’re in the midst of an illness, loss, broken heart, depression, or whatever your suffering is, offer that pain up for someone who may be suffering more than you.  As Christ hung on the Cross he didn’t complain, he prayed “Father forgive them.”  Who can you pray for in the midst of your own suffering?

    Now, while I relate a lot to St. Peter, and I’m sure many of you do as well, I try to imitate his good qualities more than his bad ones.  When Jesus made him the rock of the Church, he didn’t want him to become a stumbling block.  When the Lord either gives us suffering or allows things to happen that bring us suffering, its important that we remain close to our faith so we can be a rock in the midst of suffering instead of a stumbling block.  This isn’t easy and no one said it would be.  But by receiving the Eucharist, praying daily, experiencing God’s endless mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and staying close to our families, no suffering will separate us from God who is Love; and Love conquers all suffering.