15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to
Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He
said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him,
"Feed my lambs." 16 A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of
John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I
love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him
the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was
grieved because he said to him the 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. 18 Truly, truly, I say to
you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but
when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you
and carry you where you do not wish to go." 19 (This he said to show by
what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow
me."
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Reflection:
A young man told a young woman: I love you. The
woman said to the man: Marry me to prove your declaration of love. So he
married her and they lived as husband and wife only to separate after a few
years. Why did they separate? For the reason that they were not able to
withstand the turbulence and trials of married life.
Perhaps, I love you; is the most abused phrase
today; we often say it without thinking how profound and meaningful this phrase
is. This is the reason why when married life is tested by turbulence, the
phrase I love you now becomes I don’t love you anymore. Then after a period of
time it deteriorates to become I want to separate from you.
In our gospel for today, Jesus wants us to know that
the phrase I love you is always loaded with accountability and responsibility.
This is the reason why when Jesus asked Peter, Do you love me (three times!)?
HE attached it with threefold responsibilities (Feed my lambs, Tend my sheep,
Feed my sheep).
Let us pause and think for we may have loosely said
the phase I love you without taking into consideration its responsibility. Let
us pause and think for we may have loosely said the phase I love you to simply
satisfy our hidden desires. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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