Confession | Forgiveness | Grief | Mercy | Repentance | Sin

PETER’S FACE
There are two beautiful paintings of the repentant Peter, one by Goya and the other by El Greco. The striking thing about both paintings is that Peter is not pictured as being in a state of deep grief and remorse as much as being in an attitude of longing. In the way his hands are clasped and in the expression on his face, one can feel the longing for mercy and forgiveness and a new beginning. When you kneel before God in this attitude, His great, glorious, merciful hands overshadow you. And there you kneel, longing for the gift of new life, turning toward God’s mercy and positioning yourself to accept it. Your acceptance of the forgiveness becomes part of the process of turning and changing.