Until the Cock Crows

What causes people to do things that are out of character?

I'm not talking about going crazy in a violent sense, like people who go on a shooting spree or beat up their spouses.  I like to think that there is more wrong with them than with someone who succumbs to momentary bouts of fear or anger, causing them to say or do things that we might not expect.

I'm talking about what we witness in today's reading with Peter.

But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, 'I do not know this man you are talking about.' At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. - Mark 14:71-72

Here is the rock on which Jesus entrusts his ministry.  Surely Jesus wouldn't pick someone who is unstable.  Yet look at how Peter behaves?  He has to be afraid, lost, angry, bitter, all of the above?

He cursed at the young servant girl who recognized him.  He lost it.

It makes me wonder how close each of us comes to losing it, and how far we may go when we do.

Is there a natural limit each of us has inside us that keeps us from going too far?  Or are we all just a hair trigger away from letting our emotions take over?

Years ago, close friends lost a son to road rage.  This young father was a veteran who had experience in extreme situations and knew how to engage in as well as avoid conflict.  On his way to work one day, he lost control of his car when a man in a hurry or battling some demon forced him off the road.

No one will know for certain what happened that day, whether both drivers let emotions take the wheel, or not, but the outcome is what it is.

When we hear the story of Peter and the crowing rooster, we focus on the act of turning back, and not the action of turning away.  If Jesus hadn't foretold the event, the sound of the cock crowing would not have alerted Peter to his slip from control.  He would have remained lost.

Until the alarm sounds and we are shaken from our sleep, we remain in the dream or nightmare.  Maybe this is a clue for us, a way to remind us that we can regain control in our lives when circumstances get the better of us.

If Peter could be chosen to lead the flock, knowing he will lose it from time to time, there is hope for all of us.

So, how do we do it?

How do we sound the alarm?  How do we snap ourselves out of it when we are losing control?

Maybe the message is we don't.

Peter couldn't do it alone.  He needed that warning planted in his consciousness, that message from Jesus telling him where his actions would lead him.

I hear parents complaining about their kids saying they don't listen, and I am sure Jesus felt that way about Peter.  Look at how many times Jesus had to correct him.  But the words were heard and they stuck.  They came back to him when he was going the wrong way.

We may feel our words fall on deaf ears, but until that alarm sounds, until the situation arises when that message we planted is needed, nothing happens.  That moment of turning can come if we keep the message flowing.

One of the problems with free will is that we can't control anyone's actions, including our own at times.  We need guidance, support, help and most importantly, love.  And then though we like to say it is in God's hands, He has put our choices in ours.  It is an awesome responsibility, but we can't avoid it.

We will continue to make mistakes.  Until the cock crows.