Blind and Deaf

"Master, who is it?" Jn 13:15

Peter never fails to fascinate us. In today's gospel, the Lord tells his disciples that one of them will betray him, and Peter, leaning back against the Lord's breast, asks who it is. He almost appears nosy, and even though Judas takes a morsel of bread from Jesus indicating he is the betrayer, the text tells us, "none of those reclining at table realized," about whom he was speaking. How could Peter not know? A possible and appropriate answer in the context of the gospels is that Peter "had eyes and ears" but could neither see nor hear, and almost all of us have met Peter in ourselves and in others.

Too often I have been with families whose children are drinking excessively at a party. Clearly out of control, the young people announce they are going to a bar for a night cap. No one says anything, and by their silence they seem to encourage even more drinking. More important, no one asks about a designated driver, and no one volunteers to be the designated driver. Somehow everyone's eyes and ears are closed, and a very dangerous situation rolls on without intervention. Even as I write I think of those times when I have been in this situation and said nothing, pretending it was not my business or excusing myself because no one seemed to be listening.

Was Peter intimidated by Judas because he had the money? Did he tell himself that he must have misunderstood Jesus about the "morsel" of bread? We could imagine a thousand scenarios, but all of them paint Peter as someone who speaks without listening and because he does not hear the Lord's commands, cannot see or hear what is evident to every listener.

Today, ask the Lord to unstop your ears and uncover your eyes.

Have you ever chosen to say or do nothing in a a situation that is obviously dangerous for others?