Deacon Tom Writes,
“How Do I Love You? Let Me
Count The Ways”
It takes real courage to admit your mistakes. It
takes more courage to move foreword and not be paralyzed or held back by
mistakes of the past. Peter appears to have resumed his prior way of life as a
fisherman after the death of Jesus, perhaps trying to forget those last days:
Jesus’ brutal death, his own cowardly denying his friendship with Jesus, his
inability to comprehend Jesus’ mysterious presence in the midst of his
disciples. It was just too much for Peter to grasp!
It is understandable that Peter and the others would
go back to a way of life that was most familiar to them, fishing. They could
pick up where they had left off before Jesus called them and now put their
ambition and energy back into rebuilding their business. But their flight to
the safety of the past is short lived as we read in today’s Gospel.
This is more than an encounter with Jesus. And it is
more than a story of Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus. At it’s deepest level
it is the story of Peter’s coming to terms with himself, with his own failures
and shortcomings, with his own fears and doubts. In confessing his love for
Jesus, Peter is able to put to rest his sins from the past and his own
weaknesses, to accept them for what they are, and to move beyond them to a new
and heightened mental and spiritual life that awaited him. He is able to
forgive himself and embrace the work that Jesus gives him to do, “Feed my sheep”. Peter embraces this new
mission from Jesus with a renewed enthusiasm fueled by the power he has
received from the Holy Spirit. He is now willing and able to assume his role as
first among the Apostles and leads them on their mission to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all
nations…” MT 228:19.
Like Peter, many of us have had our “ups and downs”
in our relationship with Jesus. We have had our share of doubts and fears and
have often disappointed Jesus by our sinful behavior, by our bad choices, by “what we have done and by what we have failed
to do.” Over time these actions become like a wedge and sever our
relationship with Our Lord. But today’s gospel gives us all hope that we can
never be far from God’s abundant mercy and forgiveness. Jesus will always come
looking for us, to nourish us physically and spiritually and to bring us his
healing presence and compassion so that we can begin again, renewed and
restored.
Easter is a time of God renewing the whole world. And
renewal is what we need now give the present state of our world. Let us embrace
Our Risen Savior’s love and forgiveness and be renewed ourselves so that we may
be able to experiences the newness of life brought about through Christ’s
suffering and death.
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment