Jun 6 2025

First reading Acts 25:13-21

‘I ordered Paul to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar’

King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus. Their visit lasted several days, and Festus put Paul’s case before the king. ‘There is a man here’ he said ‘whom Felix left behind in custody, and while I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews laid information against him, demanding his condemnation. But I told them that Romans are not in the habit of surrendering any man, until the accused confronts his accusers and is given an opportunity to defend himself against the charge. So they came here with me, and I wasted no time but took my seat on the tribunal the very next day and had the man brought in. When confronted with him, his accusers did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected; but they had some argument or other with him about their own religion and about a dead man called Jesus whom Paul alleged to be alive. Not feeling qualified to deal with questions of this sort, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there on this issue. But Paul put in an appeal for his case to be reserved for the judgement of the august emperor, so I ordered him to be remanded until I could send him to Caesar.’

Responsorial Psalm 102(103):1-2,11-12,19-20

The Lord has set his sway in heaven.

Alleluia!

My soul, give thanks to the Lord

all my being, bless his holy name.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord

and never forget all his blessings.

The Lord has set his sway in heaven.

Alleluia!

For as the heavens are high above the earth

so strong is his love for those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west

so far does he remove our sins.

The Lord has set his sway in heaven.

Alleluia!

The Lord has set his sway in heaven

and his kingdom is ruling over all.

Give thanks to the Lord, all his angels,

mighty in power, fulfilling his word.

Gospel John 21:15-19

Feed my lambs, feed my sheep

Jesus showed himself to his disciples, and after they had eaten he said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

‘I tell you most solemnly,

when you were young

you put on your own belt

and walked where you liked;

but when you grow old

you will stretch out your hands,

and somebody else will put a belt round you

and take you where you would rather not go.’

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’

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Do you love me?

As we approach the end of the Easter season, it is time to reflect on what we have experienced over the past weeks. Like Peter, we sometimes fail to follow Jesus, allowing ourselves to conform to worldly values, such as prioritising our self-interest, being indifferent to the suffering of others, and letting fear prevent us from loving more deeply. We need to listen to Jesus asking us, “Do you love me?”. In the gospel, Peter responded to Jesus from the depth of his heart, “Yes, Lord, I love you”. Today, we must ask ourselves, what is our response to Jesus’ question?

Jesus desires to love us – nothing more. He loves us despite our failures and selfishness. This unconditional and faithful love for Jesus brings us peace and motivates us to renew our love for Him and for others. With trust, Jesus gives us His mission to care for His sheep, the people He places along our paths each day. May we express our love for Jesus by serving and caring for the people around us.

Reflective question:

What is my response to Jesus’ question, “Do you love me today?”

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.