Episode Transcript
[00:00:05] Speaker A: This is Sundays with Bishop Ken.
Thanks for sharing some quiet time with the Lord today. We welcome guest reader Deacon Eric Bissette.
Deacon Eric is a beloved spiritual leader in his home parishes of the Diocese of Rochester, New York.
Little Book's listeners will recognize Deacon Eric as a regular narrator for our daily reflections.
And now, here is today's gospel and homily,
[00:00:47] Speaker B: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Jesus said to the 12, fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light.
What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body. In Gehenna are not two sparrows sold for a small coin, yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father the Gospel of the Lord.
I wonder how Peter felt when he heard this Gospel.
You see, the Gospels were preached long before they were written, and Peter would have heard it proclaimed.
Imagine him sitting there when it was one of the other apostles turn to preach and he hears the apostle say, whoever disowns me before men, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
Peter would have said to himself, I did that. I disowned him.
He knew he did. And everyone else knew it too, because Peter's denials were part of the preached gospel too.
And Peter must have felt bad.
Of course. I wonder how the other apostles felt.
As you recall, every single one of them fled when Jesus was arrested.
They must have heard this preached too, and they must have felt bad.
Well, how do I feel? And how do you feel when you hear this passage?
We should feel the same way because we've done the same thing.
Now you have to take Peter's denials for what they really were.
Peter was not brought before a court of law to swear solemnly whether or not he believed in Jesus or in some pagan God.
It wasn't a court of law.
It was a courtyard.
It wasn't a magistrate, it was a maid servant and some other servants, people who were whiling away the time and who were curious.
Peter didn't stand up and solemnly disclaim belief in Jesus.
He simply tried to hedge he was busy. He was trying to watch what was going on, and these people weren't important. And he just tried to hedge.
I don't know what you're talking about.
There's absolutely no question in my mind what Peter would have done if he were hauled before a magistrate and called upon to accept or reject Christ publicly. There's no question about it. Peter would have stood up for Christ.
[00:04:13] Speaker C: The same thing is true for me.
There's no doubt in my mind, really, how I would measure up if I were called before some pagan tribunal to accept or reject Christ.
It would be difficult, but the adrenaline would flow and I would summon all my spiritual strength.
And I could do it even if my life were on the line.
So could you, and so would you.
[00:04:40] Speaker B: But I've never been hauled before some pagan law court.
[00:04:44] Speaker C: The problem isn't in the courts. The problem is in the courtyards of my life, where I am often called upon or at least given the opportunity to say whether or not I'm a follower of Christ.
The people aren't all that important.
The situation isn't a ponderous one. It's not a sermon or a classroom or a great debate. They're just ordinary people who want to know what kind of life I really lived.
And lots of times I. I prefer to hedge.
Note the question here. It's not a question of whether or not you believe in God or believe in Jesus.
That doesn't really present any problem.
It's whether or not you are a follower of Jesus.
That's the question the maidservants asked Peter.
There are many times I'm called upon to expose myself on that point.
Quite apart from my intellectual and spiritual beliefs, people want to know what value system I follow in my life.
There are times when people talk about issues of justice, social justice, and I don't believe what they say fits the Gospel.
But it's not an important discussion, so I just let it go.
I hedge sometimes by silence and sometimes by an innocuous remark.
Those are the courtyards of my life,
[00:06:12] Speaker B: and there are many of them.
[00:06:14] Speaker C: I can come together here with you and speak loudly and clearly about the Gospel.
But Jesus said, what we talk about in private among ourselves, you proclaim from the housetops.
He wasn't necessarily talking about street corner preaching.
He was talking about letting people know
[00:06:34] Speaker B: what we really believe.
[00:06:37] Speaker C: Listen again to the words of Jesus.
Do not let them intimidate you.
What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light.
What you hear in private, proclaim from the housetops.
When Peter heard those words, he felt bad, and every time he heard them, he resolved not to do it, not to hedge.
When the disciples heard those words, they felt bad too, and they resolved not to do it.
When you and I hear them today, we should let ourselves feel bad and realize we've done that.
And we should promise we're going to try awfully hard not to do it anymore.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Thanks for joining us today.
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[00:08:24] Speaker B: Sa.
