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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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“Do you love me more than these?”
There are two possible meanings of Christ’s question to Peter.
We might imagine the Risen Lord standing next to Peter’s boat, holding Peter’s fishing nets in his hands. Symbolically caught in Christ’s grip is Peter’s livelihood, his past, and the family he works so hard to feed.
Are you ready to give up your past, your comfort, your steady career, your future, even your family for my sake? Do you love me more than these?
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On a deeper level, Christ was likely referencing the night of his betrayal. Although Peter proclaimed at the Last Supper, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be,” he still fearfully denied knowing Jesus three times that night.
This was their chance at reconciliation.
And so, Peter humbly confesses, “Lord, you know everything you know that I love you.”
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Love implies responsibility. Consider what Peter’s love for Christ brought him.
First and foremost, it came with the call to feed Christ’s sheep – and in so doing, to leave his life behind. For the next and final thirty years of his life, Peter will possess the keys to the kingdom, preaching to the nations, while leading the Church on earth.
Secondly, it brought him a cross. The day came when Peter was called to die like his Lord. But, feeling unworthy of leaving this life in the same manner as his Master, he asked to be turned upside down.
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While none of us may ever occupy the chair of Peter, or be asked to die for our faith, we can all learn from his example.
If we love the Lord, then we, too, must follow the path of surrender. Along our faith journeys, there will be people and things – even good ones – which we must part with in order to serve the highest good, Jesus Christ.
And along this path, there will always be a cross – a cost – for being Christ’s disciple.
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“Do you love me more than these?” Yes, Lord, let me show not only in word, but above all, in action.
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Image credits: (1) Adam Cappa, Facebook (2) Pasce Mea Oves, Nicholas Poussin (3) Dreamstime.com