Gospel: John
21:15-19
After
Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he
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.” Jesus said to him,
“Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of
John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered 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 distressed that he had said to him a
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. Amen, amen, I say
to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you
wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone
else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this
signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said
this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
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Reflection:
Are you
afraid to grow old?
The
reality of life is this: we will eventually grow old; this is a course of
nature that no one of us can stop. Whether we like it or not we will all be
growing old and we will be at the mercy of those who will be with us by that
time.
Can we
assure ourselves that we will be properly treated when we become old and
powerless? None of us can assure that there will be proper treatment for us by
that time but Jesus gives us some hint on how to assure proper and equitable
treatment for us when we become old and gray.
He tells
us in the gospel to feed and take care of His people, in other words feed and
take care of anyone who is hungry. Don’t be selective; help everyone who is in
need. But let us not help with the motive in mind that we will do it because we
will be in need of help also in the distant future when we are old.
Help because
this is the right thing to do, help because this is what Jesus wants from us immaterial
if we will be helped or not in the future. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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