DO WE LOVE JESUS - 05/01/22 (Third Sunday of Easter)

John 21:17-19

17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the 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. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." 19 (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this He said to him, "Follow Me."

For the full readings, click here: 

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/daily-readings

For more information on the Optional Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker, click here:

https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-1---saint-joseph-the-worker/

Blessed Sunday! All glory, honor and praise belong to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who was slain. Our Lord Jesus bore our sins, accepted His wounds due to our offenses and offered Himself as a sacrifice for the salvation of souls. Despite being denied three times by St. Peter and despite being left by the disciples, in His Merciful Love, Christ desired to remain in union with them as He appeared to His disciples. Our Lord continuously love us even though our sins caused His death on the cross. In the gospel reading for today, Jesus asked St. Peter three times of this question, "Do you love Me?" Today, there are three questions that we should ponder upon if we truly love our Lord. 

The first question is, do we love Jesus by being faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church? He grants us the gift of salvation through the Catholic Church. Jesus told St. Peter to feed His sheep. This is a reference to the instruction of our Lord for St. Peter to be a leader, the Pope, of His Church. The Pope is the visible sign of the unity of the Catholic Church, the Body of Christ. In this Church, we can listen to the fullness of truth, and we can remain in union with the mystical body o Christ by partaking of the sacraments. His Precious Blood on the Cross is more than enough to wash away all of our sins. However, we need to be faithful as His flock by living out our Catholic faith as He entrusts us to the Pope. By receiving the sacraments in the Church and by following the teachings He reveals to His Church, we can accept this gift of salvation. 

The second question is, do we love Jesus by repenting of our sins? It is only by His grace that we can be transformed from our sinfulness and be a new person in Him. The reason why Jesus asked St. Peter whether he loved Him for three times was because St. Peter denied Him for three times. Our Lord was giving him the opportunity to repent of his sins and to be humble by depending on His graces alone. St. Peter had great desires of serving God, but he was dependent on his strength as a person which made him fall to the temptation of denying Christ when he became afraid of suffering for Him. Let's humble ourselves as God gives us new opportunities to repent of our sins, and let's recognize that it is only by God's love that we can love Him back. True love is seen, not just in words, but also in deeds.

The third question is, do we love Jesus by enduring the sufferings that we experience for His sake? After the ascension of Christ, the apostles were mocked and persecuted by many people because of their faith in our Lord. And yet, they remained at peace and joyful because through their sufferings, they glorified our Lord. Jesus also prophesied that St. Peter would be martyred by being crucified upside down. Unlike before when St. Peter denied our Lord, he willingly accepted the cross. When we are transformed by Jesus, we will obtain the grace to be more Christ-like in bearing the numerous sufferings in our lives. We are called to be spiritual martyrs. Our sufferings are not in vain because heaven awaits us when we imitate Christ during our hardships, and more sinners will be converted.

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic