7TH FRIDAY HOMILY OF EASTER — YEAR A

7TH FRIDAY HOMILY OF EASTER — YEAR A

HOMILY THEME: DO YOU LOVE ME?

BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “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 used 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.”

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The Lord Jesus gave Simon bar Jonah another name: ‘Cephas’ in Hebrew; ‘Petra’ in Greek. Translated into Latin, ‘Petrus’. This word means ‘Rock’. The Lord chose him to be the rock foundation of the Church: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18). That is how high is the Lord’s trust in Peter. Unfortunately, at crunch time, just when the Lord needed him the most, he failed Him – not only once, but thrice. He denied the Lord three times. As Jesus predicted, the cock crowed immediately after his third denial. This was the most painful reminder for Peter. He repented right away, and asked for forgiveness from the Lord. But the damage was done.

The Lord understood his situation, and readily forgave him. Still, Peter was distraught and upset. He has done something terrible to the Lord, and this haunts him no end. And the Lord knew this all along. That is why, during His post resurrection appearances, He assuaged the fear and anxiety of His disciples by greeting them, “Peace be with you!”

The Gospel reading today is about the last encounter of Jesus with His disciples before His ascension. It was an encounter marked by tenderness and affection. What is of particular significance here is when Jesus asked Peter for three times: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” The triple question of the Lord is not because He did not trust him. Otherwise He would have withdrawn the appointment of Peter as the head of the apostles.

Rather, Jesus asks this question to give Peter the opportunity to undo his triple betrayal with his triple profession of love. He was given the chance to redeem himself. And secondly, it was to categorically entrust to Peter the sheep of His flock: “Feed my sheep.” Jesus formally appointed him as the supreme pastor of the entire community of believers. For such a highly important and demanding task, we may wonder that Jesus does not ask Peter if he has studied scriptures, theology or canon law. He only asks, “Do you love Me?”

This, then, clearly illustrates that the most important requisite of leadership is total commitment to love. This is because in leadership, love is the most powerful bond of unity among the members and the strength of the organization. In fact, according to St. Teresa of Kolkata, “The greatest science in the world – in heaven and on earth – is love.” Leadership in the Church does not depend so much on academic degrees and expertise, but on love first and foremost. This is the reminder of Therese of Lisieux: “You know well that our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even their difficulty, as at the love with which we do them.”

The Apostle John describes love in the following words: “This is the proof of love that He laid down His life for us and we too ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” Clearly, the love that our Lord is expecting from the appointed leaders is a self-sacrificing love like His.

Peter was painfully made aware of the true meaning and demand of this love. Jesus must have sensed his resolve. That is why, after Peter’s triple profession of love and fidelity, the Lord predicted the manner of death that he will undergo as proof of his love: “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.” Then Jesus adds: “Follow Me.” This time around, Peter did not disappoint Him. He explicitly displayed his intense love for the Lord, capped with martyrdom in Rome.

God does not need perfect instruments. He knows we are imperfect. He only needs people who never stop loving Him and His flock, who begin again and again – like St. Peter, the apostles and all the rest of the saints. Saints are in Heaven not because they did not fall, but because they always rise up after each fall and continue following the Lord.

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