Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter

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 peace of the Lord be with you. Today in our Gospel reading we have this very tender moment between Jesus and Peter. If you recall Peter denied Jesus three times on the night before his passion.Today Jesus affords him an opportunity for reconciliation for the denials that he made.The word that Jesus uses as he talks about love is unconditional love but Simon cannot seem to grasp the nature of this unconditional love and so Jesus accepts that the type of love Peter can give as filial love.This is a form of conditional love that parents have for their children which is very deep but not as a deep as the love God has for us.From this interaction we get a glimpse into how Jesus advocates for us, how he offers reconciliation and accepts the limitations of where we are right now with the hope that we will join him in a higher more fully giving form of love and surrender. In the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Readings for Friday, May 21, 2021