Today's readings are here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040312.cfm
It was through betrayal and denial that our Lord was crucified. No doubt, these things added to his sufferings.
All too often, we have rejected Christ out of fear of persecution, which is a form of suffering. In light of Christ's redeeming love for us, I think we need to take a stand for him, regardless of the outcome. If we learn to embrace suffering as a friend, not for the pain itself, but for what God can do with the pain for our growth in charity, then we should not be afraid to "take it on the chin" for Jesus. We certainly do not want to add insult to injury by denying him. After all, we have been rejected at some point in our lives, so we know how it feels. Let us not, then, cause our Lord this pain.
We must be careful, though, not to be overconfident, like St. Peter, that we will remain loyal to Christ in a moment of persecution; otherwise, we might find ourselves denying him in no time. It is easy to say we will be true to our Lord when we are not facing persecution; it is much more difficult when we are.
May God give us the strength to remain faithful to him, regardless of the consequences.
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