It can be hard, intellectually, to grasp the transformative power of Jesus. We all know the personal failure that often comes when we try to implement immediate radical change in our lives, even change for the better.

There may be no better illustration of Jesus’ transformative nature than St. Peter. When he met Jesus, he was an illiterate fisherman. He stumbled and bumbled through Jesus’ public ministry, culminating in his epic abandonment during the Passion.

Through grace, he wept and repented, and shortly thereafter was giving charismatic public speeches that converted 2,000 people at a time.

Like a skilled gardener, he preened the early church, swatting down heresy and shaping the contours of the community that remain until now.

In the end, Peter accepted not only the torture of crucifixion, but inverted crucifixion.

If God can work all of that good through a random anonymous fisherman, what good can he accomplish through my participation in his Divine Plan?

Tags: Spirituality