Do You Love Me?

Gospel: John 21: 15-19

In the very last appearance of the risen Jesus we find him asking Peter three times if he loves him.  Each time Peter responds in the affirmative, but with each question Peter grows more irritated.  But to affirm one's love three times is to manifest the highest and superlative love in the Jewish tradition, a love Peter will come to express in deeper and deeper ways in his life.

Each day the Lord Jesus asks us over and over again in many different ways if we love him.  Do you love me in your family members? Do you love me in your enemies?  Do you love me in the homeless person, the immigrant, the migrant and refugee, the man in prison, the woman who is a drug addict or victim of trafficking, the starving child half a world away?  

Whenever we encounter another human being we encounter Christ and we are confronted with this question - do you love me?  Do you love me in this person standing before you at this moment?  If we continue to say yes like Peter, our love will grow and expand a bit more each day and a dark, cold world will become a little brighter and warmer.