The Good News for the Day, May 17th, 2024
Friday in the Seventh Week of Easter (301)
After the Resurrection get-together at the sea shore in Galilee, and they had finished breakfast,
Jesus asked unit Simon Peter, “Simon Johnson, do you love me more than these others. Simon Peter answered Him: “Yes, Sir! You know I love you.” Jesus said to him: “Feed My little lambs.”
Then He said to Simon Peter again: “Simon Johnson, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him: “Yes, Sir! You know I love you!” He said to him, “Take care of my sheep.”
He said to Simon Peter a third time: “Simon Johnson, do you love me?” Peter was upset that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to Him, “Sir – you know everything; you know I love you!”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Telling you the truth here: when you were younger, you put on your own close and went where you wanted to go, but someone else is going to dress you, and lead you where you do not want to go.”
After He said all this, He said to him, “Follow me.” (John 21)
Throughout history the emphasis in this passage seen Simon Peter as the head, the leader, of the apostles may be, the first Pope. That may well be one of the points why it’s in the Gospel.
The Gospels, however, are always about you and me, for you and me. They are less about the structure of the church, history, or even the leadership of the apostles. There spiritual instruction and inspiration are written for our inspiration, yours and mine
Jesus, of course, is always asking you within your heart, how much, how wholeheartedly you love his message, presence, and spirit in your life. He reminds us that if we do have that complete commitment, that wholehearted notice of affection and respect, that caring about him and his way of life, then we will show it.
We show it by loving the weak, the wanderers, the stupid, the immoral, the angry, the failures and all the others who are not leaders, but those who allow the world to imprison them, hypnotized and make them followers of falsehoods, instead of the way the truth and the life.
In the end, no matter where our life goes or how helpless or weak we may feel in our bodies, our commitment is always to follow that way of goodness and caring.
This gospel – during the time when we celebrate the vanishing of the physical presence of Jesus from history – we are called to show our love for others more than ever, to be in his presence since he is going away.
jorisheise 