I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.

And the Lord said, "Simon Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail, and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." But he said, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing." Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack, and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors.' For the things concerning Me have an end." So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough."

- Luke 22:31-38

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught His disciples at the Last Supper what it was to be truly great. As He has spoken about the fulfillment of the Passover, and drinking of the vine "in the kingdom," His disciples begin to dispute who will be greatest in the kingdom among themselves. Considering that Jesus has just spoken of the blood He will shed as sacrifice, it is rather reprehensible behavior! But Jesus teaches them about leadership, that it is to be different among them than it is in the world. "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.' But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves." Jesus serves all, though He sits at table with all of them -- and they have shared His trials. As His Father bestows a kingdom upon Him, so shall Jesus bestow His kingdom upon them.

And the Lord said, "Simon Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail, and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." But he said, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death." Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me." This warning sets the tone for what is coming. Jesus has repeatedly spoken of what is going to happen to Him, and just now, at the Last Supper, He has already spoken of the cup they shared as the "new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you." But here we get a good glimpse of what is going on behind the scenes, that sets the tone, perhaps not only for what is immediately to come, but even for the age in which we live. There is a spiritual battle here -- Jesus has come as the "stronger man" whose kingdom breaks through into the rule of the "prince of this world." And so, here, He prays for Peter. Knowing all things, Jesus understands what is to come -- and prays for Peter. My study bible says, "Jesus sees Simon Peter's denial as a violent attack by Satan, which Peter endures through Jesus' intercessory prayer." So, this spiritual battle is one for hearts and minds and souls -- for faith -- and it is one into which we enter as the unfolding of Jesus' Passion begins: betrayal, suffering and death. Of course, after repentance and the Resurrection, Peter will return as a great leader of the Church, following Christ's instruction to "feed My lambs" and "strengthen your brethren." Repeatedly in the Gospels, Peter learns that His own strength alone, and even his great emotional desires, really aren't enough to give him the great strength of faith that he needs.

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing." Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack, and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors.' For the things concerning Me have an end." So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough." Now that active persecution has begun, the disciples must be ready for what is to come: as my study bible puts it, they must be "ready for anything." The sword, it notes, "suggests resistance against the evil one." See Ephesians 6:17. We know Jesus has said that He has come to bring a sword: meaning His faith that will pierce all the choices we make. "It is enough" has been historically interpreted in various ways: either ironical (two swords against the forces of Rome won't make a real defense) or a censure, meaning, "Enough of this!" (See Deut. 3:26). Jesus will be crucified as a criminal, between two thieves: and the things concerning Him will be fulfilled. But I think perhaps we have to see, once again, the tone set by Christ here. All throughout Luke's Gospel, healing has been inseparable from a form of spiritual battle: and what is to come for the early Church is also persecution. The things fulfilled concerning Him will also apply to His Church and, in my opinion, even to the age. We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the Church, and our faith, brings us a cross which will try all things, and brings a kingdom which is still "breaking through" into the strong man's house.

Today's reading sets a darker tone for the Gospel as we go forward. We understand the persecution Jesus will face, His crucifixion and death. But we shouldn't lose sight of the spiritual battle that He alludes to here. The Church, in the form of our faith as the Body of Christ, still pierces through into the house of the strong man of this world. And it is our job as Christians to be a part of that piercing through, breaking through. We look around ourselves, and we can still find the cruelty and injustice, the faithlessness and betrayal, portrayed here. We can still find the hypocrisy and corruption Jesus condemns. And that is in addition to the cares of the world (and those harmful things we may do to escape them) which weigh down our hearts that He has warned about. The institution of the Church may not be actively persecuted in all places as it was for the early Christians, but if you take a look around you will find that the struggle for faith still takes on all forms, and we should really be prepared for anything. Here, it is prayer that is the great weapon of protection, prayer in all forms, intercessory and personal, that which we find in worship, that which we pray "in secret." Let us consider then our prayer as a sword that strengthens ourselves and our brethren, that helps us pierce the webs of deception and manipulation of the "father of lies" we may find in the world, and to seek the spiritual truth of St. Paul's "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." It is still a battle for souls into which we enter, and which is being fulfilled among us.