7th week in Easter Time, Friday – 26th May 2023 — Gospel: Jn 21,15-19
New Meaning to Live
Jesus ends his commission of Peter with the same words that began their relationships: “Follow me” (Mt 4,19). Jesus repeats this command twice to Peter (21,19.22). To follow Jesus means surrendering oneself before Him as the Lord of all, seeking His will for the direction of life, and submitting in obedience to His commands. When we do this, we’ll be prepared for death when and however it comes. After the exchange of love and acceptance between Jesus and Peter, we find that Peter’s call to follow Jesus takes on a new and deeper meaning. For the remaining decades of his life, Peter will live in the shadow of the cross, just as Jesus did. He will follow the great Shepherd, tending his flock as shepherd of Christ’s followers. And finally, he will follow Jesus in the kind of death he will suffer, and by that death, he will bring glory to God. Peter’s transformed way of life points out the great truth: The way to glorify God in our death is to follow Him while we live.
