Feed, Tend, and Follow

     In today's gospel (Jn 21:15-19), Jesus asks Saint Peter the ultimate question: do you love me? Jesus is not satisfied with Peter's first affirmation, asking for the same pledge of devotion three times- a reparation for Peter's threefold denial of Christ on Holy Thursday.

     It is interesting to compare Peter's words in this passage to before the Lord's Resurrection. Before denying Jesus, Peter was arrogant, raising himself above the other apostles to prove his love. He said though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. (Mt 26:33) Notice how Peter is prideful in this exchange, attributing his faithfulness to the Lord to his own greatness. This kind of behavior fails to gain favor with the Lord, as He immediately tells Peter that he will not only fall away, but completely deny knowing Him.

     In today's gospel, Jesus tests Peter with the question do you love me more than these? (Jn 21:15) It would have been easy for Peter to take the bait and again speak of his devotion to Christ in relation to the other disciples. This time, however, Peter is not prideful. He speaks from his heart when he replies yes, Lord; you know that I love you. His love for Jesus is so strong now, after having failed and been forgiven,  that it is self-evident.

     We all should have the kind of love for Christ that Peter demonstrates here, as we have all, at some point, denied Jesus and, through no merit of our own, received his pardon for our offense. In my own life, I can think of many times that I have shied away from defending the Church and its teachings. Jesus gives Peter four commands in today's gospel: feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep, and follow me. If we, like Peter, love Jesus with a self-evident love, then we too are called to take care of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Before Jesus' passion, Peter did not understand what it meant to feed and tend Christ's flock. He thought of discipleship as a competition, seeking to prove himself more worthy than others. Now, Peter realizes that his love is best exemplified through leading others towards a better relationship with the Father and Son. The way is not always smooth, but, in Peter and Jesus, we have two great guides for how to become shepherds in our own lives.