These words of our beloved St. Peter are spoken almost in despair. Other of Jesus’ disciples are beginning to peel away as the road ahead seems to be turning dark. Jesus gives Peter and the closest of his disciples, the Twelve, the chance to peel away or state clearly their faith in him, which Peter does in most memorable terms. It is not that Peter will not be shaken in his faith, as we know well that he will. And of the Twelve, the Gospels will speak only of John, the Beloved Disciple as being at the scene of the Crucifixion with some women, including our Blessed Mother. The road will become dark.
But in this moment, Jesus speaks with those whom he has called to both challenge and encourage them. God’s Chosen People had waffled for generations between exulting in the marvelous deeds God had done for them to grumbling against God and against his servants when things were difficult or threatening.
From Afghanistan to Haiti, from homes where families are mourning the passing of a loved one to homes that are torn apart by anger or resentment, by betrayal or illness or addiction, the human spirit seems stretched to the breaking point. The darkness of the roads of our human journeys might be the earthquakes or hurricanes of natural origin, or they might be the result of human greed, hubris, or being tone deaf to the deepest needs and the common thread of humanity at risk.
As women and men who are “called” by our shared faith in Christ, it is never a sufficient response to darkness to add to it. It is never sufficient to feel we have said enough when we have grumbled or spoken in anger. It is never sufficient to say “Well, that’s the way it is.” We need always to dig into the reality that seems to strike us down, and find the reality of how Christ responds to us, and through us.