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Pope at Angelus: Even when confused like Peter, dialogue with the Lord
During his Sunday Angelus address in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV reminds the faithful that St. Peter was very human and that, like him, we ought to “humbly tell Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused.”
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“In our life of faith and in our prayer, may we have the same sincerity as Peter, humbly telling Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused.”
Pope Leo XIV gave this advice during his Angelus address on Sunday in Castel Gandolfo, where he stayed overnight after joining in the Marian procession of Our Lady of the Lake on Lake Albano the previous evening.
In his catechesis, the Holy Father recalled the day’s Gospel reading according to Saint Matthew, in which Jesus reveals to His disciples the mystery of His impending Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Human nature
The Pope acknowledged that what the Lord says is a far cry from our expectations of a triumphant and powerful Messiah, with whose help they would defeat their enemies, and how Peter expressed his disagreement and, surprised and disappointed, rebuked Jesus, saying to Him: “‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’”
The Pope suggested that this makes us think about our human nature.
“For us, too,” he acknowledged, “it is not always easy to understand and accept God’s ways, especially when they are very far from our own.”
He also recognized that “the temptation arises, against all the reasoning of faith, to think that the Lord is the one who is wrong,” or “worse still, that He is not listening to us or is not concerned about us.”
St. Peter teaches us important lessons
Faced with this uncertainty, Pope Leo underscored that Peter, even in his impulsiveness, teaches us two important things.
“The first is, even in such moments,” he said, “never to cease our dialogue with the Lord.”
Instead, he proposed, “we are confidently to tell Him our difficulty in understanding what He is asking of us.”
The second, he continued, “is never to judge God’s work, but rather humbly and prayerfully to listen to what He is revealing to us through His actions, even when they do not meet our expectations.”
Pope Leo noted that the greatness of the first of the Apostles is also evident in this.
Pope Leo recalled that Jesus replies, “Get behind me, Satan!” and explains to him and the other disciples that, to follow in His footsteps, they must deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him, pointing out to the faithful that “Peter will do just that.”
“After listening to Him, Peter,” the Pope said, “will accept the challenge and remain faithful to the words of Christ, whom he has recognized as his Redeemer, for the rest of his life, even unto martyrdom.”
Blessed Mother’s obedience to her Son even at foot of Cross
Thus, the Holy Father invited the faithful to join him in asking the Lord “that we, too, in our life of faith and in our prayer, may have the same sincerity as Peter, humbly telling Jesus what we truly feel, even when our hearts are confused.”
“At the same time,” he continued, “may we cultivate Peter’s own docility in accepting what Jesus asks of us beyond our expectations.”
Pope Leo concluded by praying that the Blessed Virgin Mary, who “was obedient to God’s plans even at the foot of the cross of her Son Jesus,” help us with her example.
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