Author: admin

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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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It’s time to be reconciled. Jesus has been raised from the dead. Now he’s appearing to Simon Peter, who denied him three times during his darkest hour. 

It’s only fair to ask Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

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A repentant Peter responds the only way a Christian can, “Lord, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

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“Lord, Lord,” Peter says.

In Latin, “Domine, Domine.”

It’s from the Latin word, Domine, that we get the English word, dominate. 

It’s a beautiful play on words: 

Lord, Lord…Domine, Domine…dominate.

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To “dominate” means to have a commanding influence; to be the central figure; or primary force behind action. 

It’s not something we’d ordinarily say to someone, “dominate.” But what Peter is saying to Jesus is that he has become the central figure – or commanding influence – in Peter’s life.

Peter will prove this while he preaches to the nations for the next thirty years, and finally as he dies upon a cross in Rome, much like his Lord.

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Perhaps we could ask ourselves the same question: Is the Lord the very center of my life? Or are there others competing for my affection?

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“Lord, Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”

You are the center of my life. 

May we all repeat Peter’s words, not only with our lips, but also with our lives.

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Image credits: (1) Subsplash (2) The Sacred Page, WordPress (3) Christianity. Why did Jesus ask Peter if he loved him?

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Acts: 22:30 – 23: 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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“God, what is your will for me?”

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It’s a question all of us have asked at one point or another.

I’m sure we never ask it hoping that the answer involves pain or suffering. Rather, an open door; freedom; opportunity; or an exciting experience.

None of these – freedom, opportunity, or excitement – await Saint Paul. 

He’s just been put on trial, severely lashed, and thrown back into prison. Half-dead, he sits and wonders, “God, what is your will for me?”

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Anyone would’ve hoped for an open door or relief from pain and suffering.

But mysteriously, the Lord appears to Paul and says, “Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

That will be Paul’s next – and final – stop. 

After faithfully proclaiming the Gospel, Paul will be put to death.

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What this passage tells us is as haunting as what it does not tell us. 

It does not tell us why God allowed Paul to suffer so much; nor does it explain our own suffering.

But it does tell us that the Lord appeared to Paul; that Paul did God’s will; and through it all, Jesus was with him.

“Take courage,” the Lord says. I am with you.

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What can Paul’s life and ministry say to us? That, at times, God allows pain and suffering to enter our lives. But not without grace. 

As Paul himself wrote, “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Paul bore his cross faithfully. His way out – his reward – was the resurrection.

May he pray for us that we, too, may do the Lord’s will, which ultimately leads to life in abundance. 

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Image credits: (1) DT Life Coach, Dr. David Turpen (2) The Plot against Paul: Reading Acts, WordPress (3) St. Paul Center

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John 17: 11-19

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
“Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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It’s amazing what people will do for something – or someone – they believe in.

For example, every year when Apple releases their new iPhone, fanatics camp outside for hours, even days, hoping to be first. The longest recorded wait is ten days! 

Imagine that.

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Imagine applying that same determination to the Christian faith.

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Today we celebrate the life of a man who was at least that determined – not for an iPhone – but for Jesus.

Saint Justin Martyr converted to Christianity in the year 130 AD. He spent his adult life teaching and defending the faith, until finally he gave his life for it.

Only two of his writings remain, but they offer some beautiful insights into what some of the first Christians believed. In his Christian Apologia, Justin mentions the following:

Christians believed that baptism makes us a new creation through the remission of our sins.

They gathered every Sunday to commemorate the resurrection. These celebrations included the sharing of scripture, a sermon, prayers, and most importantly, Eucharist.

As Justin himself wrote, “the bread and wine become the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.”

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These early Christians were clear: the Eucharist is the promised presence of Christ.

Unlike an iPhone, that’s worth waiting ten days in line for.

And if necessary, giving our life for, because the Eucharist is our promise that we shall live again.

Saint Just Martyr, believer in the Eucharist, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) (2) AZ Quotes (3) St. Paul’s Parish, Albion Park