Scripture:
Acts 5:27-32,40-41
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
Reflection:
“…Feed My Lambs…My Sheep.”
We continue to celebrate the heart of our faith, this great season of Easter – and today’s Scriptures highlight the person of St. Peter as he interacts with Jesus and later seeks to witness the person of Jesus risen from the dead to his contemporaries.
No doubt, Peter comes across as a likeable guy, very human. As a disciple, he was both eager to follow Jesus, but also weak in following through; his words and deeds did not always match!
St. John’s gospel selection begins with Peter and some other disciples going fishing after Jesus had been murdered on the Cross. The disciples were emotionally charged, and so they escaped by going fishing, to perhaps console one another. Jesus shows up on the shore and in a teasing manner calls out to them, “…children, have you caught anything to eat?” Jesus then tells them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat; reluctantly, they do so, and they are surprised with a big catch: 153 large / keeper fish! John recognizes Jesus on the shore, shouts out that it’s Jesus – and Peter jumps into the water to swim toward Jesus. Jesus then invites the group to have a breakfast of some fish and bread that He has prepared. What a special feast!
Then Jesus directly addresses Peter: “…do you love me?” The request is repeated three times, and each time Peter responds “Yes!” Jesus invites Peter to “feed my lambs, feed my sheep”: really, to shepherd the infant Church! Today we know that Peter and the others did fulfill the mission Jesus gave them: they filled Jerusalem with the Good News of Jesus despite the opposition, the Church grew, and we today live as 21st Century disciples in other parts of the world.
The Risen Jesus asks us to love Him and to help share the Good News of His love for our world. We’ve been fed by the Holy Eucharist, nourished by the Scriptures and other Sacraments, and encouraged by the example of fellow disciples. Like the early disciples, we have our strengths and our weaknesses, and we’re encouraged to keep trying our best as we live our personal vocations to credibly live our faith as Easter People.
Who knows what will happen today, or tomorrow? For St. Peter, it meant further opportunities and challenges as a disciple, ultimately resulting in his martyrdom. Our Church today faces a time of critical discernment as the Holy Spirit guides the Conclave of Cardinals to elect a new Pope. Ourselves, we move forward as Easter People, blessed in many ways and challenged to be credible messengers of hope for our needy, broken world. Together, in word and deed, let’s proclaim our “Amen!”, in the spirit of a heartfelt Easter “Alleluia!”
Fr. John Schork, C.P. serves as the Province Vocation Director and also as Local Superior of the Passionist Community of Holy Name in Houston, Texas.