Christ lets His Apostles know that love is the beginning and end of all things
Reflections on the readings for the Third Sunday of Easter (May 1, 2022): Acts 5:27-32,40-41; PS 30:2,4,5-6,11-12,13; REV 5:11-14; JN 21:1-19
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
Moreover, this is precisely what He asks from everyone who follows His way.
In the readings for this Third Sunday after Easter we hear about another encounter between Jesus and His disciples after His Resurrection. He reveals Himself both as the Son of God who gives them a miraculous catch of fish and as the Son of Mary who makes and serves their breakfast. He still has more to teach them. Three times Christ asks Peter if he loves Him. Only days before, Peter had denied three times that he even knew Jesus. Now Christ is giving him a chance to reaffirm his love. Peter assures our Lord that he does and is so upset after the third question that he cries out: “‘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 uses 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’” (John 21:17-19).
Christ loved Peter and Peter loved Christ. That was not the only reason that Our Lord chose Him to lead the Church; this fallible, sometimes blundering man who learns that he will indeed walk in the steps of Jesus, even to death. Our Savior saw in him qualities of courage, commitment, loyalty, despite his denials after Jesus’ arrest. Christ saw that Peter, like each of us, is far more than he was on the worst day of his life. We are all called to love God and to show our love through faithful service to His will. St. Augustine said, “So do you imagine the Lord is not questioning us? Was Peter the only one who qualified to be questioned, and didn’t we? … So when you hear the Lord saying, ‘Peter, do you love Me?’ think of it as a mirror, and observe yourself there. … So when the Lord was questioning Peter, He was questioning us, He was questioning the Church.” Peter realized that he would have to face painful, trying times in obeying our Lord, and, ultimately, death in His name. But love would see him through -- his love for Jesus, of course, but only because Christ loved him first and always would. Just like us.
Suggested missionary action: We need to realize that we can never serve God on our own. He wants our obedience, but does not expect us to act on our own. Every day, let us humbly ask Him to help us to know what He wants us to do and entrust ourselves to His guidance.