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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“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

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Acts: 20:30, 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 is in trouble… again… because of his preaching. 

In nearly all, if not all, of his sermons we can find at least one of the following themes: Jesus Christ is the Son of God; he died for our sins; he was raised from the dead in accordance with the scriptures; and we are saved – not by following the Law – but by grace.

It’s this final point that gets Paul into trouble in our first reading.

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

In their rage, the mobs shout, wave their garments, and throw dust in the air, calling for his execution. While standing trial, realizing his death is almost certain, Paul 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. Paul knew this was his way out.

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What’s key here is not the fact that Paul saves his life; it’s why he saves it.

He’s not afraid of death. He risks his life each day of his ministry and willingly accepts his death in Rome. But Paul refuses to die until the appointed time; the Lord had revealed to him in prayer there was more work to be done.

Secondly, Paul teaches us that – while he is not afraid of martyrdom – he is also not afraid to live. There is an undeniable dignity to each human life and to every second we walk this earth.

But the time we are given is not meant for worldly glory or self-satisfaction; rather, it’s meant to be used to spread the kingdom of God.

As Paul later writes, “I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.”

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Like Paul, may we not only value the time we are given, but also use it well – for the glory of God.

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Image credits: (1) John Paul II Catholic Church (2) National Catholic Register (3) LinkedIn

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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 within a Christian community in Ephesus, which he helped to establish. Now the time of his departure is at hand; it has been revealed to him in prayer that he must leave for Jerusalem, revealing Paul’s docility to the Spirit.

“What will happen to me there,” he says, “I do not know.”

While this community was heartbroken by his departure, it was also a blessing in disguise – at least for Christians today.

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Paul was always a man on the go. He’d establish one community, then depart for another. In his absence, he wrote at least fourteen pastoral letters, encouraging these early believers to remain steadfast in their faith.

These letters, along with the Acts of the Apostles, form almost half of the New Testament. 

So, what do Paul’s words reveal about the early Church? And what was some of his parting advice? 

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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 also given to Paul, who ordained priests through prayer and the laying on of hands.

With every departure, Paul warned these communities that “savage wolves” – false preachers – would come among them, unraveling some of his hard fought teaching. But they were encouraged to remain faithful to his teachings – as Pope Leo reminds us to be today.

Finally, Paul lived a life of surrender – freely accepting whatever happened to him: rejection, imprisonment, even death, which he will receive upon arriving in Rome.

Everything Paul did was for the glory of God.

May his courageous spirit spurn us on to continue God’s good work today.

Saint Paul, pray for us.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Paul, Pompeo Batoni (2) DeviantArt (3) cfan.eu