Why it Matters That Mary Was Like You
This week, our farm acquired a rooster needing a home. He is big and bantam, and we christened him Snow White. Since he is afraid of the other chickens—in particular, the other rooster, he hangs out close to the house and I talk to him through the window. Because last Sunday’s lectionary passage (Mt 14:22-33) was about Peter, I was pondering when Jesus warns Peter he will betray him three times before the rooster crows. Of course, that’s what Peter goes on to do. This betrayal is all the more disappointing because, as we see in Sunday’s story, Peter was of all the disciples, the most enthusiastic in his faith. Mt 14:22-33 tells of when Jesus calls Peter out onto the water in a storm and Peter walks to him—at least until he gets spooked and starts to falter. All discussion of the event’s literalness aside, the story is a character study. Sometimes we look at the story on the lake and see an example of weak faith. Peter begins to sink, after all. What is extraordinary about his character, though, is that he stepped out of the boat in the first place. Jesus said “Come” and he did. The story depicts Peter as an exemplar of ardent but imperfect faith. And because of this imperfection, Peter is very relatable to us. We can imagine being a Peter.
Last Sunday was also the day our church, called St. Mary’s, celebrated the feast day of St. Mary. We sang special songs and lit candles and ate chicken mole and an enormous cake. I found myself pondering how even the most faithful, the most enthusiastic male follower of Jesus, pales in comparison to Mary…. {Read remainder of article on Patheos HERE.}