Have you noticed that this episode of Peter, where he asks of the Lord: "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water," (Mt 14: 28) and the declaration of faith: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God," (Mt 16: 16) only occur in the Gospel of Matthew? On both occasions Peter's faith, despite his protestations falls short. In the first case: "... he became frightened and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord save me!'" (Mt 14: 30) and in the second, shortly after: "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church..." (Mt 16: 18), he fails when he: "... began to rebuke him (Jesus) saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you," only to get the response: "Get behind me, Satan!" (Mt 16: 23) Thus, Peter goes from "hero to zero." How can we make sense of this dynamic in the life of the Church and our own faith journey? I propose we can understand this in terms of the Marian and Petrine aspects of the Church: "'[The Church's] structure is totally ordered to the holiness of Christ's members. And holiness is measured according to the 'great mystery' in which the Bride responds with the gift of love to the gift of the Bridegroom.' Mary goes before us all in holiness that is the Church's mystery as the 'bride without spot or wrinkle.' This is why the 'Marian' dimension of the Church precedes the 'Petrine'." (CCC 773) Our participation at Mass is a social and juridical reality but its orientation and fulfilment lie in the great mystery of God's love and the holiness of the members of the Church, as they imitate Our Lady as the perfect disciple.
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