Gospel: John 21:15-19
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:
Do you know that true love always requires humility and sacrifice?
There is always humility woven into the very meaning of love. We cannot truly love without being willing to sacrifice. We cannot love without emptying ourselves for the good of the one we love. Love is not merely spoken—it must be lived. It is always expressed through humble, self-giving action.
In the Gospel, Jesus asked Simon Peter three times, “Do you love me?” And each time Peter responded with a “yes,” Jesus gave him a mission: “Feed my lambs,” “Tend my sheep,” and “Feed my sheep.” Every declaration of love was met with a call to serve—proof that love must be demonstrated through obedience and action.
This is also what Jesus asks of us. If we say that we love Him, we must follow Him humbly. We must be willing to deny ourselves, carry our cross daily, and live a life of loving service. Why? Because humility and sacrifice are the very heart of true love.
Love without humility and sacrifice is not genuine love—it is a self-centered imitation, rooted not in devotion to others, but in love of self.
How do you love? — Marino J. Dasmarinas
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