The Crucifixion of St Peter
Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go. (John 21:18, today's Gospel).
Readings
(Jerusalem
Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,)
Readings (English
Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)
Readings (New
American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel John 21:1-19 [or 21:1-14] (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
After this Jesus revealed himself again to
the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon
Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in
Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were
together. Simon
Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with
you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught
nothing.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the
disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus
said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on
the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So
they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity
of fish. That
disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When
Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for
he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat,
dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a
hundred yards off.
When they got out
on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring
some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the
net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many,
the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come
and have breakfast.” Now none of the
disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave
it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to
the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
[When they had finished breakfast,
Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than
these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you
know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He
said to 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 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. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were
young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when
you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and
carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was
to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”]
Léachtaí i nGaeilge
Fr Keith Gorman
(21 January 1920 - 19 December 2016)
Fr Keith Gorman was a Columban priest from Australia who worked for many years in Japan. I met him a number of times and was always struck by his delightful sense of humour and how he had grown old gracefully. In one of the articles he wrote for Columban magazines he said that his idea of heaven was having breakfast with Jesus on the shores of eternity. He clearly had today's gospel in mind.
This is a gospel I often return to. Imagine being served breakfast by Jesus himself, as the seven apostles were on that blessed morning! And the second part, which will surely and unfortunately be omitted by many priests who will choose the shorter gospel, is for me one of the most beautiful passages in the Bible. Jesus is calling us into a deep intimacy with him. He addresses his question Do you love me? not only to St Peter but to each one of us today.
It is in that context that he tells Peter Feed my lambs . . . Tend my sheep . . . Feed my sheep. Jesus emphasises the relationship of intimacy with him as being fundamental, not the mission on which he sends us. Being sent on mission is a consequence of being invited into a deep, personal and intimate relationship with him.
For me as a priest today's gospel tells me that I must put prayer at the very centre of my life, not only the official prayer of the Church - the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Breviary, the Sacraments - but personal prayer. The same applies to all who are called by God to the single life as priests, as religious, as lay persons.
Today's gospel is a call to married persons to put their spousal relationship at the centre of their lives. Through the Sacrament of Matrimony Jesus himself is the foundation of that relationship. And it is the bride and groom who confer that sacrament on each other, not the priest. He is a witness on behalf of the Church to their exchange of vows.
The first question Jesus puts to Peter is, Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? I understand this to mean 'Do you love me more than the others love me?' Husbands and wives are called by God to love each other more than anyone else loves them - including their children and their parents. And I take it to mean also that God calls them to love each other more than they love their children and their parents.
This does not mean loving anyone less, but rather drawing their children, especially, into their love for each other, a love that is based on God's love for them as a couple.
I truly believe that when their children become more important for spouses than they do for each other their marriage is heading for trouble. The same applies, I believe, to priests and religious who place their work, no matter how important and good in itself it may be, above their personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
I once heard a boy of around 11 in the Philippines say, What I love most about my parents is that they are always together. He felt drawn into their love for each other, the same love that led to his being born.
A teenage girl in the Philippines who had been abused told me how she was drawn to Jesus by a very poor black-and-white copy of Rembrandt's painting below that I showed during a Sunday homily. She said to me, He looks so human. She was basically expressing a desire to be close to Jesus, which is the desire Jesus has for her and for each of us. (I brought her coloured, framed copy the following Sunday).
Young Jew as Christ
For married couples, if God grants them children, Feed my lambs means primarily taking care of their children until they are ready to take on the responsibility of being adults. My mother often reminded me that when I'd be 21 - the then legal age of majority in Ireland, now 18 - I would be responsible for myself. I never took this to be an admonishment but rather as her giving me something valuable to aspire to. This, along with how I saw her and my father carrying out their responsibilities, was also a way in which they carried out the words of Jesus, Feed my lambs.
Countless single individuals, never married or widowed, with a deep sense of the love of Jesus for them have 'fed the lambs and sheep' because of that relationship. Many of us have been strengthened in our faith or have grown in our awareness of God's love for us through such persons. Often enough I have written here about Blessed Piergiorgio Frassati. St John Paul II, who beatified him, said of him, I, too, in my youth, felt the beneficial influence of his example and, as a student, I was impressed by the force of his Christian testimony.
The First Reading expresses in a different way the centrality of our invitation from Jesus to enter into an intimate relationship with him: But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men'. In other words, as Christians we are meant to live the values of Our Lord Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives.
As it happens, there are elections in the Philippines on Monday 12 May. Will those involved in these elections allow the values of the gospel to determine how they vote? How we vote is also a way to Feed my lambs . . . Tend my sheep . . . Feed my sheep. How we vote is meant to be a consequence of the intimate relationship into which Jesus calls us within the Church. And when it comes to legislators making laws that are contrary to God's will, as some laws are, we need to make our own the words of St Peter in the First Reading: We must obey God rather than men.
How do we do this? By accepting the invitation of Jesus: Follow me.
from Messiah by Handel
Performed by Academy of Ancient Music with Voces8
Conducted by Barnaby Smith
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever (from Apocalypse/Revelation 5:12-13, today’s Second Reading).
[Handel used the King James translation, slightly adapted.]
Collect from the Mass for the Election of a Pope
O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
The conclave to elect the successor of Pope Francis begins on Wednesday 7 May.
Traditional Latin Mass
Second Sunday After Easter
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 05-04-2025 if necessary).
Epistle: 1Peter 2:21-25. Gospel: John 10:11-16.
A Jutland Shepherd on the Moors
So there shall be one flock, one shepherd (John 10:16; Gospel)..
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