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.
or
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.
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
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?
Throughout the gospels, Jesus posed some questions, sometimes to the crowd or his disciples, but in this gospel passage, He addressed the question directly to Peter: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” For the first and the second time, the word that Jesus used was “Agape” in Greek, which means the pure love of God, but Peter replied with the Greek word ‘Philia’, referring to the love of a friend. Peter could not use “Agape” because he knew that his love for Jesus was limited. Jesus accepted the love that Peter could offer. The third time, Jesus did not use “Agape” but asked Peter, “Phileis m?”’ or “Do you love me as a friend?”.
Jesus asks us the same question, even though He knows that our love is not perfect and that, many times, it is contaminated by our need for self-recognition, our egoistic desires and pride. The Lord also knows that our deepest desire is to be His friend and to collaborate with Him in His mission. As He told Peter, Jesus entrusts us with His mission by telling us: “Feed my sheep!”.
Reflective question:
What is my answer to Jesus’ question, “Do you agape me?”
What is my answer to Jesus’ question, “Do you agape me?”
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
