Day 117: Come Down, Peter

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Rosary in a Year (with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames)

Episode: Day 117: Come Down, Peter

Date: April 27, 2026
Host: Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR / Ascension
Theme: Embracing the call to leave spiritual "mountaintops" for everyday, transformative service

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Fr. Mark-Mary Ames meditates on the Fourth Luminous Mystery, the Transfiguration, focusing on the theme “Come Down, Peter.” Drawing from a sermon by St. Augustine, Fr. Mark-Mary explores the tension between the desire for spiritual highs—times of prayerful contemplation—and the essential Christian call to return to ordinary life, embracing its hardships and responsibilities as opportunities for transformation and charity. Through stories from St. Francis’ life and reflections on the nature of authentic faith, listeners are invited to trust that God is actively sanctifying them amidst daily challenges.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scriptural Foundation: St. Augustine on the Transfiguration

• Main Emphasis: Peter's wish to remain on the mountain during the Transfiguration and Jesus’ silent direction to return to daily life and service.
• St. Augustine’s Reflection:
  • Peter desires three tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Augustine interprets this as an attempt to divide what cannot be separated: Christ in the Law, in the Prophets, and in Himself.
  • Quote:

    “Come down, Peter. You are desiring to rest on the mount. Come down. Preach the word, Be instant in season, out of season... endure, labor hard, bear your measure of torture that you may possess what is meant by the white raiment of the Lord." (St. Augustine, read at [02:00])

2. Practical Spirituality: Contemplation vs. Mission

• Anecdote on Authenticity:
  • Humorous and honest commentary about false inspirational quotes attributed to saints, highlighting the importance of knowing the true teachings of holy figures. ([04:00])
  • Notable moment: Comparison between the Missionaries of Charity actively combatting misattributed Mother Teresa quotes and Franciscans’ more relaxed approach regarding St. Francis.
    • Quote:

      “A lot of the quotes, maybe even most of the quotes out there attributed to St. Francis have nothing to do with anything St. Francis ever said... The real St. Francis is just so much more inspiring.” ([04:56])

• Story of St. Francis and the Hermitage:
  • A friar wishes to escape community responsibilities for a contemplative life; St. Francis instead urges him to stay, love the brothers, and let the friary be his hermitage ([06:00]).
    • Quote:

      “Remain in the friary. Love the brothers and let it be greater than a hermitage.” ([06:00])

  • The story emphasizes discernment: Are we seeking spiritual highs to escape life’s burdens, or authentically responding to God’s call?

3. Universal Call: Most Are Not Called to Remain on the “Mountain”

• Fr. Mark-Mary underscores that while some are called to contemplation, most are called to participate in everyday life, letting charity and perseverance be their path to holiness ([08:20]).
  • Quote:

    “Yes, Peter, the mountain is beautiful. But like our Lord, come down the mountain... We are called to be transfigured through the brightness and beauty of persevering in a life of charity, a holy life in the world.” ([07:53], [08:20])

4. Spiritual Imagery: The Sword and the Fire

• Metaphor: The process of forging a sword represents spiritual growth—mountaintop prayer makes us malleable (the fire), but it’s daily life’s hardships (the hammer strokes) that truly shape us ([09:33]).
  • Quote:

    “Prayer, the mountaintop prayer, is bringing ourselves close to the fire. But the daily sufferings of life are like the hammer strokes, that which actually form us.” ([09:47])

5. Encouragement for Lay Listeners

• Fr. Mark-Mary speaks directly to parents, workers, or anyone who feels they once had more time or focus for prayer, assuring them God is working deeply amidst their fatigue and responsibility ([10:45]-[11:51]).
  • Quote:

    “Trust that God is working here and actually in a more deep... and beautiful way than he was before you had all of these commitments... Trust that, like Peter and like St. Francis, you have been called to be sanctified through these daily hardships and struggles.” ([11:47])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• St. Augustine (as read by Fr. Mark-Mary):

  “Come down, Peter. You are desiring to rest on the mount. Come down...” ([02:00])

• On Saint Quotes:

  “The real St. Francis is just so much more inspiring than the sort of the wall quote, the inspirational quote St. Francis.” ([05:14])

• On Community:

  “Remain in the friary. Love the brothers and let it be greater than a hermitage.” ([06:00])

• On Life’s Hardships:

  “The daily sufferings of life are like the hammer strokes, that which actually form us.” ([09:47])

• Invitation to Trust:

  “Trust that God is working here and actually in a more deep, like, deep and beautiful way than he was before... You had a bit of a mountaintop experience. And now with Jesus, you've come down the mountain and it's kind of dirty and messy and there's a lot going on.” ([11:47])

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Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------| | 00:45 | Introduction to today's focus (Transfiguration) | | 01:35 | Reading from St. Augustine’s sermon | | 03:30 | Key reflection: “Come down, Peter” | | 04:00 | Commentary on saintly quote authenticity (humorous) | | 06:00 | Story of St. Francis’ advice to stay in the friary | | 07:53 | Discussion on mission over spiritual escapism | | 09:33 | Forging a sword: metaphor for spiritual growth | | 10:45 | Reassurance to those juggling daily burdens | | 11:47 | Invitation to trust God in daily life | | 12:14 - end | Transition to recitation of the Rosary |

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Concluding Reflections

• Main Message:
  Authentic spiritual transformation happens not by escaping into the contemplative heights, but by entrusting ourselves to God amid the practical difficulties of daily life. Like Peter and St. Francis, we are called to visit the mountain for renewal, but to return and serve in love, trusting that God uses both prayer and hardship to make us new.

• Final Blessing:

  “Let us trust in the Lord who has invited us down the mountain into the daily sufferings and difficulties of our state of life... But let us also be filled with the hope that the Lord is in the midst of it, making us new and transfiguring us ourselves.” ([12:16])

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Transcript

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Foreign. Mark Mary with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal and this is the Rosary in

[Podcast Narrator]

a Year podcast where through prayer and

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

meditation, the Rosary brings us deeper into relationship with Jesus and Mary and comes

[Prayer Leader]

a source of grace for the whole world.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The Rosary in a Year is brought to you by Ascension. This is day 117.

[Reader]

To download the prayer plan for Rosary

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

in a year, visit ascensionpress.com rosary in

[Prayer Leader]

a year or text RIY to 33 777.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

You'll get an outline of how we're going to pray each month and it's

[Prayer Leader]

a great way to track your progress.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The best place to listen the podcast in the Ascension app.

[Prayer Leader]

There are special features built just for this podcast and also recording to the

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

full Rosary with myself and other friars. I encourage you to pick up a copy of the Rosary in a Year

[Prayer Leader]

Prayer Guide, a book published by Ascension

[Prayer Participant]

that was designed to complement this podcast.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

You'll find all the daily readings from Scripture, Saint reflections and beautiful full page images of the sacred art we'll be reflecting on. Today we will be meditating upon and praying with the fourth luminous mystery, the Transfiguration, with help from St Augustine and his sermon number 28, part of the larger work called Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament. Now we've already had a chance to introduce our author, St. Augustine on Certainly someone on the Mount Rushmore of Catholic thinkers and authors. So let us go ahead and get right into our reading. The point of emphasis for today's meditation is going to be Peter come down the mountain. So again, this is for the transfiguration from St. Augustine.

[Reader]

Peter sees this referring to the Transfiguration

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

and as a man savoring things of

[Reader]

men, says, Lord, it is good for us to be here. He had been wearied with the multitude he had found now the mountain solitude. There he had Christ the bread of the soul. What should he depart thence again to travail and pains, possessed of a holy love to Godward, and thereby of a good conversation. He wished well for himself, and so he added, if you will, let us make here three tabernacles, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. To this the Lord made no answer but notwithstanding, Peter was answered for while he yet spoke, a bright cloud came and overshadowed them. He desired three tabernacles. The heavenly answers showed him that we have one which human judgment desired to divide Christ, the Word of God, the Word of God in the law, the Word in the prophets. Why Peter, do you seek to divide them? It were more fitting for you to join Them you seek three, understand that they are but one. Come down, Peter. You are desiring to rest on the mount. Come down. Preach the word, Be instant in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine endure, labor hard, bear your measure of torture that you may possess what is meant by the white raiment of the Lord, through the brightness and the beauty of an upright laboring in charity. The life came down that he might be slain. The bread came down that he might hunger. The way came down that life might be wearied in the way the fountain came down that he might thirst. And do you refuse to labor, Seek not your own. Have charity. Preach the truth, so shall you come to eternity, where you shall find security.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

The end of the reading. Thanks be to God. Again, the emphasis of our meditation is going to be, peter, come down the mountain. I'm going to ask you to bear with me just for a second as

[Franciscan Friar]

I share a bit of trivia that I, as a Franciscan, find to be really funny. The official website, the Missionaries of Charity, has a page dedicated to quotes falsely attributed to Mother Teresa.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

They have a page dedicated to fighting the fake news here.

[Franciscan Friar]

And a lot of the quotes that they clarify are not from other trees. So they're not authentic.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

They're really.

[Franciscan Friar]

They're really great quotes. But the thing is, she never said them, and the sisters are obviously not here for that. They're not fans of that.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And I think part of why it

[Franciscan Friar]

tickles me as a Franciscan, and sorry

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

to share the bad news here, a

[Franciscan Friar]

lot of the quotes, maybe even most of the quotes out there attributed to St. Francis have nothing to do with anything St. Francis ever said. They're just. They're just not what Francis did. But unlike the Missionaries of Charity, we just haven't taken it upon ourselves to, like, combat it, to fact check everybody, which also is kind of Franciscan. And to be fair, I actually don't love all of the inauthentic quotes attributed to Francis, especially when they don't do

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

justice to the authentic, like, voice of the man, the authentic faith and charity of the man.

[Franciscan Friar]

And part of the bummer of it is that it can keep people from

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

coming to know the authentic words of Francis, which are actually profoundly deep and beautiful.

[Franciscan Friar]

The real St. Francis is just so

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

much more inspiring than the sort of the wall quote, the inspirational quote, St. Francis, one of my favorites of the authentic words of Francis. It comes from one of his writings. And basically there was a superior, so, like a friar who's in charge of other friars in charge of a friary who was asking permission to leave the friary because he felt sort of, in quotes, called to the mountain. He felt called to go to the mountain to dedicate his life to the hermitage, which we call like, sort of the place where you go again, you go set apart and you just go and you pray. Dedication to the mountaintop and the contemplative life. So St. Francis knew the man, knew the situation. And he responded basically by saying, hey,

[Prayer Leader 2]

remain in the friary.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Love the brothers and let it be greater than a hermitage. Because what St. Francis recognized is that this other friar, he wasn't really being moved by an authentic call to the contemplative life. He was trying to run away from some of the complications and the difficulties of community life and of his responsibilities sort of amongst the world down the mountain.

[Franciscan Friar]

And I think part of the reason

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

why Francis was able to recognize this is he himself felt a similar tension for a period of time. He was in real deep discernment between dedicating his life to contemplation on the mountain versus sort of laboring and preaching the gospel amongst sort of the masses. And part of what was operating in the heart of St. Francis was an authentic and a real desire for the contemplative life, but also, and less so than the other friar, kind of from the previous story, but also tied up in it was just some of the suffering that he had experienced living amongst the brothers. But through prayer and through the sort of the guidance of some of his most trustworthy advisors, Francis understood that Jesus was calling him to come down the mountain and like Jesus, to preach the gospel amongst the people. And I think what happened in the

[Franciscan Friar]

life of St. Francis is what St.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Augustine is sort of seen happening here in the life of Peter as well.

[Reader]

Right?

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Augustine writes, come down, Peter, you were desiring to rest on the mount. Come down, preach the word, be instant, in season, out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering

[Reader]

and doctrine endure, labor hard like, bear

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

your measure of torture that you may possess what is meant by the white raiment of the Lord through the brightness and beauty of an upright laboring in charity. Yes, yes, Peter, the mountain is beautiful. But like our Lord, come down the mountain and notice the life of Jesus. Like, certainly Jesus visited the mountaintop, but he didn't tabernacle there, he didn't set

[Prayer Leader 3]

up his tent there.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

And I think it's noteworthy that some people are certainly called to this contemplative life, but the vast majority of us aren't. We are Called to be transfigured through the brightness and beauty of persevering in a life of charity, a holy life in the world. And I really love Augustine's lines there. It's the fount of life came down to experience thirst. The bread of life came down to experience hunger. Like, we're called to come down to share in the life that Jesus himself shared. But yes, we need to visit the mountain from time to time. We need dedicated time of prayer in our lives. But also, and for most of the audience here, like, what's most important is to trust that God is forming us in the midst of our daily lives and labors. Like, it doesn't necessarily look bright and beautiful, but it is in fact bright and beautiful. And through the daily hardships and labors and fidelity to our call and our state in life, we are in fact being transfigured. We are in fact being made more and more into the image and the likeness of God. I really love the image of, like, forging a sword, of forming a sword. Like, that's a steel. It needs to be held in the fire.

[Franciscan Friar]

And as the fire, it itself becomes

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

sort of hot and it becomes malleable. Then it's removed from the fire and it's hit with a hammer, right to form it. Prayer, the mountaintop prayer, is bringing ourselves

[Prayer Leader]

close to the fire.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

But the daily sufferings of life are like the hammer strokes, that which actually form us. And so we need both. Like, if we're not in relationship with God, we're not going to be made formable. You know, like the hammer strokes are going to come, but they just hurt us without forming us. At the same time, if we're only praying and we're not coming back into sort of real life, we're going to lack some of those difficulties, some of the struggles, some of the hammer strokes which refine us and form us. So we need both, yes, we need daily prayer, but also, like, trust that all of that stuff that's happening sort of in the grind, right in the. In our daily life and our daily labors, like, all of that is forming us ultimately into the image of God. Our last little image is, or a lot of kind of insight or offering here is often young people, once they're

[Reader]

grown up and they have jobs and

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

major responsibilities, maybe children, they might look back on the prayer of their youth,

[Prayer Leader 2]

particularly prayer, and maybe their early.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Their college years or as a young adult, and they look at the prayer and how they were able to go to pray so much more, like, frequently. And when they were there, they had such greater focus. But now, in the midst of their daily responsibilities and tiredness, they just maybe have less time for it. It's harder to get there. And when they do get there, it doesn't feel as sort of free because they're bringing in all the anxieties and the concerns with them. For those of you who are in that state, and I think a lot of sort of parents of young kids can really feel like they're in that state, or those who are carrying a lot of heavy responsibilities in the world, trust that God is working here and actually in a more deep, like, deep and beautiful way than he was before. You had all of these commitments like before, you know, you had a bit of a mountaintop experience. And now with Jesus, you've come down the mountain and it's kind of dirty and messy and there's a lot going on.

[Prayer Leader]

But, like, trust. Trust that God is at work there.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Trust that, like PETER and like St. Francis, you have been called to be sanctified through these daily hardships and the struggles. So persevere in prayer, but also trust

[Prayer Leader]

that he who has called you to

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

this state is also able to sanctify

[Prayer Leader 3]

you in this state.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

So now, as we pray, just let

[Prayer Participant]

us ask for a renewed trust in

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

the work of grace in our daily lives. Let us trust in the Lord who has invited us down the mountain into the daily sufferings and difficulties of our state of life.

[Prayer Leader]

But let us also be filled with

[Prayer Leader 3]

the hope that the Lord is in

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

the midst of it, making us new and transfiguring us ourselves. And now with Mary, let us pray

[Prayer Leader 2]

in the name of the Father and

[Prayer Leader 3]

of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done

[Prayer Leader 3]

on earth as it is in heaven.

[Prayer Leader]

Give us this day our daily bread

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

and forgive us our trespasses, as we

[Prayer Leader]

forgive those who trespass against us.

[Prayer Leader 3]

And lead us not into temptation, but

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

deliver us from evil. Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed

[Prayer Leader 4]

is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the Blessed art

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed

[Prayer Leader 4]

is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 4]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

Hail Mary, full of grace.

[Prayer Leader]

The Lord is with the blessed art

[Prayer Participant]

thou among women, and blessed is the

[Prayer Leader 4]

fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for

[Prayer Leader 3]

us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen. Glory be to the Father and to

[Prayer Leader]

the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

As it was in the beginning, is

[Prayer Leader 3]

now and ever shall be, world without end.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Amen.

[Prayer Leader 2]

In the name of the Father and

[Prayer Leader 3]

of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

[Prayer Leader 2]

Amen.

[Podcast Narrator]

All right.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Thanks so much for joining me and praying with me today. I look forward to continuing this journey with you again tomorrow.

[Reader]

All right.

[Fr. Mike Schmitz]

Poco poco. Friends, God bless you.