Page:Withgodbookofpra00las.djvu/99

 basely denied  his  divine  Master  thrice,  and not only  did  he  deny  Him,  but  he  even  swore with fearful  imprecations  that  he  knew  Him not. How came  it  that  he  fell  so  low,  so deeply? It was  because  he  neglected  prayer.

At the  Last  Supper  our  divine  Saviour  foretold to  His  apostles  that  they  would  all abandon Him  that  night,  saying:  "You  will all  be  scandalized  in  My  regard  to-night." "But Peter  saith  to  Him:  Although  all  shall be  scandalized  in  Thee,  yet  not  I.  And  Jesus saith  to  him:  Amen  I  say  to  thee,  to-day, even  in  this  night,  before  the  cock  crow  twice, thou  shalt  deny  Me  thrice.  But  Peter  spoke the  more  vehemently:  Although  I  should  die together  with  Thee,  I  will  not  deny  Thee" (Mark xiv.  27-31). St. Peter  was  very sincere in  his  resolution  to  die  with  Jesus rather than  deny  Him. But he  was  weak, very weak  of  himself;  he  was  warned  of  this in the  Garden  of  Olives,  when,  not  having heeded the  injunction  of  Jesus  to  watch  and pray with  Him,  he  was  thus  spoken  to  by the  loving  Saviour:  "Watch  ye  and  pray, that  ye  enter  not  into  temptation  [that  is, that  ye  yield  not  to  temptation];  the  spirit, indeed,  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  weak" (Matt. xxvi.  41). St. Peter  did  not  heed  this warning; he  failed  to  pray,  and  when  the