June 29, 2025: Be Like Peter

Be Like Peter

[Native American story: woman and Medicine Wolf] 

So Jesus is hanging out with his disciples and asks, “Who do people say that I am?” If I asked, “Who do people say Fr. Kevin is?”—you might say, “The priest who hates cats” or “The guy who can’t cook.” 

Jesus isn’t just making small talk. He’s leading the disciples deeper. After they list the rumors—Elijah, John the Baptist—He asks the real question: “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answers, “You are the Christ.” And remember “Christ” is not Jesus’s last name; it’s his title. That is, Jesus the Christ. Or Jeremy the doctor. And let’s be clear—Peter did not become the rock because he was perfect. This is the guy who sank trying to walk on water and denied Jesus three times before sunrise. But he loved big. He kept showing up. And God can work with that.

Same with Paul. Before his conversion, he was hunting down Christians. Yet Jesus chose him too. Because God’s Church isn’t built on perfection—it’s built on transformation.

One of my professors at grad school in Loyola, Chicago, Megan McKenna, told a Native American story. Many years ago, during a war between tribes, a young woman was taken captive and kept as a slave. She was treated harshly by her captors, who humiliated and beat her. She was given rotten food to eat and rags to wear. Then one night, the woman escaped. She ran all night and the following day. As night fell and the moon rose, she realized she was being followed: a wolf was tracking her. She tried to keep moving but the wolf continued to follow her. Finally, she could go no farther and sat down against a tree, waiting for the wolf to attack.

The wolf approached her slowly, stopping to sniff her out. The woman was terrified. Then to her utter amazement, the wolf lay down beside her, curling up against her, sharing his warmth with her, as though the wolf was guarding her and keeping her safe.

When the woman awoke, the wolf was gone. As she struggled to stand and get her bearings, the wolf returned. The wolf was dragging half a buffalo calf he had killed, putting it at her feet. She gathered firewood and cooked the meat, and they ate it together. This was the pattern they established: the wolf brought back something to eat, the woman collected roots and berries, sometimes a fish, and they would eat; at night they would keep each other warm; during the day, they would walk together, the wolf protecting her. 

After several moons, the woman found her way back to her people’s camp. They welcomed her home but were surprised and wary of the presence of the wolf beside her. She told them how the wolf had saved her life and helped her find her way home. “He is strong medicine,” she said. “He is my friend, Medicine Wolf.”

The wolf continued to care for the woman for many years. She shared what she learned from her escape and became one of her tribe’s respected elders. Then one night, she died with her wolf friend next to her. Medicine Wolf stood outside the village that night and howled in grief. After that night, he was never seen again.

Now notice that at first, the woman fears the wolf. But in time, the wolf protects her, feeds her, and walks her home. What she thought was a threat became her salvation. That’s grace. That’s how God shows up—sometimes through what we fear or don’t understand.

It’s easy to see Christ in our friends and family. But can you see Christ in the person who disagrees with you or who votes differently than you do? Because in the end, the thing that glorifies God isn’t our belief system, but how we treat those who don’t share our belief system.  

We don’t need to yell our faith from the rooftops. We need to live it eye to eye . . . this week, at work, on the team, with the gang you hang out with. Live it with compassion. With courage. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach often and when necessary, use words.”  

So maybe today, Peter and Paul are reminding us:
You don’t have to be perfect—just willing.
You don’t have to be fearless—just open.

And if God can build the Church on a fisherman and a former persecutor . . . imagine what God can do with you.