I have a simple pleasure: finding books I’ve never heard of that turn out to be hidden gems — readable, insightful, accessible, and somehow flying under the radar. Simon Peter: Lessons from the First Pope by Georges Chevrot is exactly that.
The next few reflections will draw from it. Let me set the stage.
Chevrot invites us to read the Gospels through a particular lens: Simon Peter. And if there’s any apostle — any character in the Gospels — who has a true literary arc, it’s Peter. In many ways, his story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Not a series of disconnected episodes, but a journey. A relationship. Our Lord walking with Peter through the ups and downs, gently forming the man who would become the first pope.
That’s what this book has opened my eyes to. And it’s challenged me too — to see the Gospels not just as stories I already know, but as the unfolding of this relationship between Christ and Peter, and to ask: where do I see myself in him?
Whether or not you ever pick up this book, I’d encourage you to try that lens. Read the Gospels with Peter in view — and see what you find.
Let us pray. Lord, as we walk with Peter through the Gospels, help us to see ourselves in him — and to see You more clearly through it all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.
This reflection is part of a series based on Simon Peter: Lessons from the First Pope by Georges Chevrot — a hidden gem I’d highly recommend. If you’re a reader who enjoys discovering lesser-known books on faith, prayer, and the spiritual life, hit reply or drop a like. I have a few ideas around this kind of content and would love to know if there’s interest before I go further with it.
