Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: John 21: 15-19

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, 
he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” 
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; 
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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When they first stood together along the shores of Galilee, Jesus made a promise to Peter and the others, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

The disciples had little idea of what their future held in store, but with hearts filled with hope and expectation, they dropped their nets, left their families, and followed him. 

As their three-year journey with Jesus unfolded, the promise, “I will make you fishers of men,” became clearer. Initially, the disciples hoped this would involve wielding political power after Jesus was crowned an earthly king.

But after his death, those dreams fell back asleep…forever. 

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Before ascending to his Father, the Risen Christ appeared to his disciples for forty days and forty nights to clarify this call. 

Finally, they understood what the call of being a “fisher of men” really meant – to love, to serve, to preach, to pray, to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that Christ taught them.

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In today’s Gospel, Jesus has a working brunch with Peter – fish and bread served over a charcoal fire. While Peter is also called to become a “fisher of men” like his brothers, notice the Lord uses different imagery when speaking to him alone.

“Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.”

Peter is not one fisherman among many. He is the shepherd. The one whose voice unites the sheep; the one whom everyone must listen to and follow; the one who holds the keys to the kingdom.

The one who is the direct successor to Christ on earth.

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That power has been handed down from one shepherd – one pope – to the next over the last two-thousand years. In my own lifetime, I’ve heard the voices of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, and now Leo.

Perhaps today we can pray for our shepherd, who has the unique burden of leading more than one-billion Catholics; the one whose voice cries out for peace on the world stage; who is tasked with living like his Master, giving us all an example to follow.

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Image credits: (1) Breakfast with the King, Matt Philleo (2) Disciples of Jesus Fishing, Duccio di Buoninsegna (3) PBS

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Acts: 22.30 – 23.6:-11

Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Saint Paul has been preaching inside the Temple in Jerusalem, angering mobs of Jews who believe he’s trying to nullify their religion. But he insists that Christ does not invalidate, rather he fulfills the Law and the prophets.

In their rage, the mobs shout, wave their garments, and throw dust in the air in protest, calling for Paul’s execution. While standing trial, he realizes that his death is likely. So, he makes one claim in self-defense:

I am a Roman citizen.

It was considered reprehensible – if not punishable by law – to strike a Roman citizen, and Paul knew this was his way out. What matters is not the fact that he saved his life that day; it’s why he did it.

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Paul was not afraid to die… nor was he afraid to live. 

As he says in his Letter to the Philippians, “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me… [Yet] I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. I remain in the flesh for your benefit” (Phil. 1:21-24).

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His words leave us several points to contemplate.

Although Paul knew that his time would come – and almost certainly as a result of preaching the Gospel – he refused to facilitate an early death or to take his life for granted. 

Every second he had on this earth was a gift – and he intended to use his time well. 

However, he also understood that his time was best spent, not working for personal gain, but in spending himself for the sake of others. Even those who despised and rejected him were worthy of his time as he sought to convert them through love.

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How do we spend our own time here on earth?

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Like Paul, may we use the time we have well – not for personal gain, but for the glory of God – who alone removes the yoke of time and grants eternal life.

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Image credits: (1) ArtPal (2) Saint Paul Delivering the Aeropagus Sermon, Raphael (3) Time and Date

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Acts: 20:28-38

At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.

The Word of the Lord.

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“They threw their arms around Paul and kissed him…They were deeply distressed, because they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.”

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For the last three years, Paul has been living with the Christian community in Ephesus, which he helped to establish. However, the Spirit has revealed to him in prayer that now he must leave for Jerusalem. “What will happen to me there,” he says, “I do not know.”

While Paul’s departure was difficult for everyone, his willingness to be on the move reveals his docility to the Spirit.

Interestingly, this was part of what inspired the compilation of the New Testament – absence.

Just as Paul used his pastoral letters to fill his absence, encouraging his Christian brothers and sisters, so Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote their Gospels to encourage believers as they awaited Christ’s return.

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What do Paul’s letters and advice reveal about the early Church? 

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From the beginning, there was the handing on of apostolic authority, which the Catholic Church has continued for 100 generations. This power was given to Paul, who writes about ordaining priests like Timothy through prayer and the laying on of his hands.

With every departure, Paul warned Christians that false preachers, or “savage wolves,” would arise in their midst, twisting the truth for the sake of personal benefit. 

But the faithful were to remain steadfast to Paul’s teachings, not being misled – just as Catholics are encouraged to listen to our shepherd, Pope Leo, today.

Finally, Paul lived a life of surrender to the Spirit, allowing nothing to shake his faith. He understood that neither absence, nor mistreatment, nor rejection, nor imprisonment, nor death could separate him from the love of God.

May Paul’s courageous spirit spurn us onward as we continue doing what he did – serving others for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Saint Paul, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Winnie the Pooh, Pinterest (2) View of a City along a River, Jan Brueghel the Elder (3) Rick Warren, QuoteFancy