FRIDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER - Gospel (John 21:15-19) FRIDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER
Gospel
(John 21:15-19)
After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered 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."
The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ
The Word of God for Everyone
Dear People of God,
Today's Word of God recounts the event of the risen Christ's appearance to the apostles.
During this appearance, Jesus asked Saint Peter three times: "Do you love Me?”
He asked three times to test Saint Peter's faith in God.
And Saint Peter's response to Jesus was: "Yes, Lord; You know everything, You know that I love You."
After Saint Peter answered three times to profess his faith in God, he was granted the privilege by God to continue the mission of Jesus Christ—to tend to God's sheep.
Jesus appointed Saint Peter as the head and representative of God to care for and preserve the Church that He established.
And to this day, the Church has always remained holy, pure, and always connected to Jesus Christ as its head; and there is only one Church, one God, and one Jesus Christ.
God always desires that all His sheep be gathered into one fold, which is His Church.
However, living in this earthly world, humans cannot escape the temptations and snares of Satan, which are gradually dividing His Church.
Nevertheless, that division does not diminish the beautiful image of His Church as the body of Christ.
Through today's Word of God, God reveals to humanity another special aspect of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection event: He appeared to choose, call, and entrust the apostle Peter with the mission of being Christ's representative in this world.
Through this, it is shown that:
- When God chooses people, He does not look for those with high position, power, status, or profound knowledge.
Rather, He looks for a person who always knows how to love God above all things and love their neighbor as themselves, for that is what pleases God.
- When Jesus lovingly chooses and calls the apostles, He will always accompany and remain with them.
This also shows that, whether in the past or the future, all those who have been chosen and called by Him to follow God's path, He will always protect and accompany them in all places and at all times.
Therefore, He calls upon humanity to go forth in peace along the path of Jesus Christ, which is the path of carrying the cross up to Mount Calvary, to die with the Lord and to be resurrected with Him.
Thanks be to God. Amen.