Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter(Click here for readings)
[Jesus] said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "...Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to...go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will...lead you where you do not want to go."
Going Places. From all accounts, the Holy Father's trip to Israel, Palestine and Jordan was a tremendous success. Where internationally known diplomats failed to leave their mark, the Holy Father left his mark at every street corner he visited. Who can forget the unscheduled stop (and prayer) he made at the ugly security wall that separates Israel from the West Bank? Or the scheduled stop and prayer at the wailing wall in Jerusalem? No one. In many ways, both visits were unprecedented.
And then the Holy Father did something very risky. He said,
"In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace. I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer."
The two men accepted and will go to the Vatican this coming Sunday.
Do you love me more than these? There are plenty of political pundits who believe the Holy Father went too far in his faith (and hopes) and that his prayer gathering will do nothing to solve the entrenched differences between two ancient people who hate each other with a passion. But the Holy Father is a man of God, who truly believes in prayer; a lesson we should all learn. And as he walked across a delicate tightrope during his Holy Land visit, he is now doing the next best thing: asking others to walk it with him.
A man of God is an acrobat. He walks along a very fine line. For him, there is only one way, one truth, and one life. There is only one God, and He must remain above all other things.
Call of Duty. The Lord asked Peter three times if he loved Him. All three times Peter responded: "You know that I love you." The Lord replied (three times), "Get to work."
Where much is given, much is expected.
When you were a child. Oh, how great life is when you are a child. After all, a child can come and go whenever he/she wants. They can tell their parents where they want to go, what they want to do and when they want to do it. Why? Because they have zero responsibilities.
"Why are you going to the Mall?", asked one mom to her child. "Because I don't need to do the dishes, clean my room, wash my clothes, fix the sink, water the grass, take someone to piano lessons, ballet lessons and soccer practice! That's why!", replied the child (not really!). But you know what I mean. ZERO responsibilities!
Call of Duty. In today's Gospel passage, the Lord is calling Peter to be the leader of His group. This is not a coronation. It is not an honor or a privilege. This is a call to active duty.
Have you answered the call lately? All of us have been called, regardless of our title or position. Moms, dads, politicians, doctors, etc... We have all been called to active duty. This is not an honor or a privilege. It is not "our chance" to finally get some respect and be served! No! This is our calling...to serve others, and it is our vocation.
History is made by those who serve. Let's just pray and hope they all belong to Christ's army and His plan of salvation.
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