MAY12022

St. John adds an appendix to his gospel where he places the dramatic scene of Jesus reconciling with Simon Peter after he had denied him three times. I had envisioned that Jesus would have pulled Peter aside to do this but the way St. John tells the story the other disciples were standing around when they have their confrontation. That makes the first question Jesus asks Peter all the more pointed: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” You can almost catch the six other disciples thinking “be careful how you answer that. After all, we weren’t the ones who denied the Lord!” Peter does not answer the question directly but simply professes his love. “Lord, you know that I love you.” To which Jesus responds, “Feed my lambs.” With some variance this dialogue occurs twice more.  A very profound scene and three of the many lessons that can be drawn from it are: 1) God doesn’t play favorites, some variation of “Mommy always loved you best.” While  Jesus was obviously very close to Peter, he loved the other disciples completely, just as he loved Peter. 2) Don’t compare yourself with others, some variation of “I might be a mess but at least I’m better than her.” No, God calls us by name, uniquely and God judges us as an individual, not as part of a crowd. The only criterion we need to hold onto is: am I loving God to the best of my ability. 3) Love is not an internal feeling but an action verb. If Peter really loves Jesus it will manifest in the feeding and tending of the flock of Christ. The measure of our love for God is how much our love for others shows in action.