Acts 25:13b -21/Ps. 103:1-2,11-12,19-20ab/John 21:15-19
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
At the Last Supper, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus revealed the depth of his love for his disciples: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love” (Jn 15:9). Jesus loved them with a faithful and enduring love, a love that would remain steadfast even unto death. In return, he invited his disciples to remain faithful in their love for him.
Yet Peter, despite his sincere devotion, failed to remain in that love. In the hour of trial, he denied Jesus three times. His love, though genuine, proved weak before fear and uncertainty.
It is against this background that we hear today’s Gospel. The risen Lord asks Peter three times: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Jesus was not reopening old wounds or condemning Peter for his failures. Rather, he was giving him the opportunity to renew his love, to return to the communion he had lost, and to remain once again in the love of his Master.
Significantly, Jesus never mentions Peter’s denials. Instead, he invites him to profess his love anew. The Lord does not keep a record of our failures. Whenever we drift away from him, whenever our words or actions deny him, he gently calls us back and gives us another opportunity to renew our love and fidelity. His mercy is always greater than our weakness.
If the Lord continues to trust us after we have failed, then we too must learn not to lose faith in ourselves. As the late Pope Francis often reminded us, we are not perfect saints but forgiven sinners. God’s grace enables us to begin again.
Today, the Lord addresses the same question to each one of us: “Do you love me?” It is a deeply personal question that can only be answered honestly in prayer. Like Peter, we are invited to respond from the depths of our hearts: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
The Lord also teaches us that genuine love for him must be expressed in love for others. After each profession of love, Jesus entrusts Peter with a mission: “Feed my lambs; tend my sheep.” Love for Christ naturally leads to service. We demonstrate our love for him by caring for those entrusted to us, by becoming good shepherds in our families, communities, workplaces, and parishes, and by practicing both the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
The Lord calls every one of us to share in his ministry of care and compassion. Yet before we can effectively serve others, we must continually renew our personal relationship with him. It is our loving communion with Christ that enables him to work through us and make us instruments of his mercy and grace.
May we never tire of responding to the Lord’s question with sincerity and conviction: “Lord, you know that I love you.” And may that love inspire us to care faithfully for all those whom God places in our path.
Amen.
ANNUNCIATION DAILY ROSARY REFLECTION 