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SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #495

Simon Peter saith to him: "Lord, whither goest thou?" Jesus answered: "Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now: but thou shalt follow hereafter." Peter saith to him: "Why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thee." Jesus answered him: "Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? Amen, amen, I say to thee, the cock shall not crow, till thou deny me thrice." (John 13:36-38)

ST. PETER'S SELF-CONFIDENCE: We have repeatedly had occasion to admire St. Peter's faith, and love of our Lord. Even in the story we have just read, the chief of the apostles evinced great love and great faith, declaring that he would never take scandal at anything Jesus did, and was ready to lay down his life for His sake. Peter seriously and honestly meant what he said, but he trusted too much in himself, overrated his own strength and, forgetting the weakness of his human nature, believed himself capable of remaining faithful to his Master under all circumstances, simple because he wished to do so. His will was good, but he was wanting in that humility which comes from a knowledge of one's own frailty. He ought to have thought and said: "With Thy help I will never fail;" but, instead of this, he put himself on a different level from the other apostles, and implied that, although they might very easily go astray, he never could! This high opinion of himself, and his undue self-confidence led him to the fall which will be related later. We should never forget that, without the assistance of God's grace, we can neither keep the commandments nor persevere in well-doing.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]
(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)