Sri Chinmoy meets St. Peter

In the mid-1980’s, Guru came to Ottawa and offered a public meditation and concert.

There were about 200 seekers in attendance. As was Guru’s habit at that time, at the end of the function, Guru would personally offer prasad, an orange, to each seeker.

Everyone approached the stage in a long line, and one by one, we went up to Guru to receive the orange. The line moved slowly, as Guru spent one or two seconds with each individual.

Suddenly, the line came to a halt as an order gentleman stood in front of Guru. Guru meditated on this man for two or three minutes. This was so unusual that all the disciples knew something extraordinary was going on. We were eager to find out what it was.

The next day the leader of the Ottawa Centre, who was Guru’s driver during the visit, told us the following: As this man approached Guru, the Christ appeared out of the ether and asked him to please bless “his Peter.” Guru said that 2,000 years ago, he had been one of the direct disciples of Jesus.

The Ottawa disciples got to know Peter a little. One time, he and his wife, Frederika, invited me to their home for lunch. Peter was in the kitchen preparing the meal, and from the living room, I could hear him sweetly singing various hymns. Frederika said he often sang to Jesus as he cooked.

Both Peter and Frederika were deeply spiritual people. After the meal, Peter showed me a video of a seminar given by a well-known Catholic theologian. He asked me to watch how he spoke about Jesus. Then he pointed out that this person was not theorizing. He spoke about Jesus as though he had personally known him.

Then Peter recounted a story. He and Frederika had attended a talk given by this theologian. At the end of the talk, a number of people formed a queue, waiting to speak to him personally. When Peter got to the head of the line, the two men looked into each other’s eyes, and then both burst into tears and began hugging each other. Peter felt certain that this theologian had also been one of the Christ’s disciples.

After their meeting with Guru at the meditation/concert, Peter and Frederika always came to functions whenever Guru was in Ottawa. They even travelled to New York to see Guru on several occasions. This became quite a challenge, for as time went on, Peter became dependant on a wheelchair.

Peter passed away peacefully in the early 1990’s, and the Ottawa disciples who were present sensed a deep feeling of peace and joy as he slipped away into the other world. Frederika continued her friendship with the Ottawa Centre. In her later years, Guru gave her the spiritual name Devatripti.

If you are wise,
Then do not wait
For the Christ to return.
You can go and see him
In Heaven
With your aspiration-heart
And surrender-life.

Sri Chinmoy 1