"Quo Vadis?" or to be more exact, "Domine, quo vadis?" asked Simon Peter to his Master Christ. The meaning of the question is "Lord, where are you going?" This narrative is from the apocryphal 'Acts of Peter' composed around A.D. 190 probably in Palestine or Syria. On this anecdote, a legend developed during the patristic period and is referred to by Origen and St. Ambrose of Milan.

The legend may be summarised as follows. Peter was fleeing from Rome to escape the persecution of Nero, the Emperor. Seized with fear he was running along the path known "Via Appia Antica' or the Old Way. Peter chances to meet a person, carrying a cross on his shoulder, coming towards him. Simon stared at him. The man with the cross also cast a piercing look in exchange. Their eyes met. Peter instantaneously recognized the 'man' and accosted him "Lord! whither goest thou?" Jesus answered: 'I go to Rome to be crucified'. The perplexed Peter probed. 'What! Master art thou being crucified again'? Christ replied: 'Yes Peter, I am being crucified again'! Words surcharged with emotion. A shudder passed through Simon Peter. Remorse filled him as he realised that the Master spoke those words to admonish him for his cowardice if not disloyalty. Tradition goes that when Peter came to himself, he returned to Rome and joyfully courted martyrdom. According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, 'Ambrose used the anecdote to show that as Peter stood firmly with the Church, Ambrose would stand with the Church of Milan against Arianism'.

The plight of many a modern Christian is not much different from that of Peter who took to flight in fright. Christ, the Bridegroom and His Bride the Church, our 'Mother' are guiding each one of us through the following advice. 'Dear Child does it meet you to be like the seeds, which though springs up soon, are scorched within a short time as they have no roots. Your mind shall not be vexed. Believe our words and have faith'. It is imperative that we pay heed to this counsel as expatiated by St. Paul in Heb. 12:1. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witness... let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us".

Never shall any child of the Sacred Ecclesia disregard, disrespect or disobey the commands of Christ the Lord and the tenets of the 'Mother Church'. There must not be any occasion for Christ and the Church to ask any one of their sons or daughters the piercing but paining question "Quo Vadis?"