Jesus looked at him

 After Peter denied Jesus three times, he was able to avoid falling into an irreversible loss of heart, which would have been a second fault, thanks to the time interval during which Jesus looked at him. At that instant, Peter understood that distrust is not the true corrective of presumption, because what is needed is to remain confident, but putting that trust in God and not in oneself.

The poor Judas, however, lacked a sincere repentance: what he felt was embarrassment; he lacked a glimmer of hope, a bit of love, or just a race to Jesus, imploring his gaze.

Who knows, christians, if tomorrow we will also surrender? ¡God frees us from making our sins inevitable by doubting his love! But no! We will not fall if we feed our heart with a sincere sorrow for our sins, near Peter, looking at Jesus.


   Després que Pere negués Jesús tres vegades, va poder evitar caure en un desànim irreversible, que hauria estat una segona falta, gràcies a que en l'interval de temps, Jesús el va mirar. A l'acte, Pere va comprendre que la desconfiança no és el vertader correctiu de la presumpció, sinó que el que fa falta és romandre confiat, però posant  aquesta confiança en Déu i no en sí mateix. 

Al pobre Judes, en canvi, li va faltar un penediment sincer: el que ell va sentir era vergonya: li va faltar un bri d'esperança, un xic d'amor: simplement córrer a implorar la mirada de Jesús.

¿Qui sap, cristians, si demà nosaltres també claudicarem? ¡Déu ens lliuri de fer irremeiable el nostre pecat dubtant del seu amor! Però no! no caurem si alimentem en el nostre cor el sincer dolor per les nostres culpes, molt a prop de Pere, mirant a Jesús.

(Georges Chevrot: Simón Pedro, p.272, Patmos)