Pope+Essay+SI15

P E T E R

St. Peter was more than the first Pope of our Church. While that is certainly great in and amongst itself, he became the influence for all the Popes to come after him as well. They look at him as an example in all the important decisions they have to make in society and the modern Church. He showed many qualities that made him the perfect man for the job, and the actions he performed in his lifetime still impact the way we live our lives today.

Peter showed many qualities in his time as the leader of the Church. To start with, he was emotional. When Jesus looked at Peter after he denied him three times, Peter started crying. He was extremely dedicated to his faith and couldn't believe what he had done, so he broke down into tears. Next, he was passionate about his faith. When Judas and his men came to arrest Jesus, Peter cut off the ear of one of the priests there. He did not want his Lord to leave him, and his passion for his beliefs drove him to do whatever it took to keep Jesus with him.

Jesus must have seen something in Peter to choose him as the first Pope of his Church. First, Jesus saw a leader in Peter. He could tell that Peter could grow to be strong in his faith and eventually be the example for the Church after his death. Also, Peter was the first to proclaim Jesus as the true Messiah. In doing this, Jesus saw that Peter was truly the one who was meant to be the head of his Church, one who was strong in his faith and would stay that way until the end of his days.

Peter's actions are still modeled by the Popes today; they try to be everything that he was. First, Popes need to be leaders. Peter was not only the first head of the Church, but he was also the first head of the apostles after he recognized Jesus as the true Messiah. Popes have a role just as important and just as large. They need to lead not only the people of the Church, but society as a whole, to do the right things and steer them back towards God. Also, Popes need unwavering faith. Peter almost always had a perfect faith for Jesus, an example that not only the Pope tries to follow, but tries to get us to look after. The Pope, as the head of our faith, needs absolutely 100% solid faith in order to carry out one of his many missions: leading the people of his Church in the right direction, towards God.

St. Peter was undoubtedly, at times, the most faithful follower of Jesus. Although he was a solid believer, when his faith was tested, he faltered and fell prey to the easy path, which just goes to show that even the first Pope of the Church was far from perfect. He immediately left an impact on Jesus when he first met him, leading him to how he is remembered by all Catholics today. His actions in his life so long ago still influence the present heads of the Church, which is why Peter, the rock of Christ's Church, is such an important figure in our faith.