The Gospel for December 14, 2004
Luke 22:54-69
They seized him then and led him away, and they took him to the high priest’s house. Peter followed at a distance. They had lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and Peter sat down among them, and as he was sitting there by the blaze a servant–girl saw him, peered at him, and said, ‘This man was with him too.’ But he denied it. ‘Woman, I do not know him,’ he said. Shortly afterwards someone else saw him and said, ‘You are one of them too.’ But Peter replied, ‘I am not, my friend.’ About an hour later another man insisted, saying, ‘This fellow was certainly with him. Why, he is a Galilean.’ Peter said, ‘My friend, I do not know what you are talking about.’ At that instant, while he was still speaking, the cock crowed, and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord’s words when he had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will have disowned me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly. Meanwhile the men who guarded Jesus were mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, ‘Prophesy! Who hit you then?’ And they heaped many other insults on him. When day broke there was a meeting of the elders of the people, the chief priests and scribes. He was brought before their council, and they said to him, ‘If you are the Christ, tell us.’ He replied, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question you, you will not answer. But from now on, the Son of man will be seated at the right hand of the Power of God.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
A Study
If Jesus had not already decided to accept this outcome, He would have been utterly humiliated. As it was, however, He had already worked out what had to be done and was now an observer to a future He had already seen.
A Reflection
In this nutshell, we see humanity's shame tendered and God's forgiveness granted, all within the blink of an eye.
No wonder John Baptist was puzzled when he sent friends to ask Jesus, "So when are you going to start the reign of the Messiah?"
This was the beginning of the reign of the Christ. This was the point at which our futures all became intertwined with His. This was the point in our time that became tangent to God's time for the briefest instant.
While we wait to celebrate the point at which Jesus entered this world for His brief time as a human, let us not forget that the defining point was His exit.
A Collect
Almighty God, if our own loyalty to you were the only test of your love for us, we should be already in outermost darkness. Continue, we beseech you, to pour upon us your limitless grace and favor, so that we may one day be one with your Christ, even as He is one with you. Amen.
4:51:29 PM 
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