THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter, 2023

Acts 25:13b-21

Ps 103

John 21: 15-19

Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, Priest

Feed my sheep

According to John’s gospel, at the last supper, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. Jesus speaks those words to all disciples of every generation. Just as God the Father’s love for Jesus is a given, so Jesus’ love for us is a given. All that is asked of us is that we remain in his love, that we remain in communion with him. In the case of those disciples who were with Jesus at the last supper, they did not succeed in remaining in Jesus’ love; they did not remain in communion with him. Except for the beloved disciples, they all abandoned him.

According to this morning’s gospel reading (Jn 21:15-19), the first question the risen Jesus asks Peter is, ‘Do you love me?’ Jesus was allowing Peter to come back into communion with him. The risen Lord gives the same opportunity to all of us and gives us that opportunity over and over again. The question, ‘Do you love me?’ is asked by the one who has loved us as the Father has loved him, who has loved us with divine love. It is not an accusing question; it is an inviting question calling us back into communion with the Lord if, for whatever reason, we have fallen out of communion with him.

The Eucharist or Holy Communion, as we often call it, is a moment when we hear that question specially addressed to us; it is an opportunity for us to respond to Jesus’ question as Peter does in this morning’s gospel reading, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you’, and then to live out that love of the Lord by loving one another as he has loved us.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, inflame my heart with your love and burn away everything within it that may be unloving, unkind, ungrateful, unholy, and not in accord with your will. Amen.

+Remain blessed