He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" // John 21:17 (Gospel from the Optional Memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II)
When I want my children to really know something, I say it a lot. Make your beds. Say you’re sorry. Be kind. Remember to say, “Thank you.” And on and on and on. If a simple human like me understands the importance of repetition when it comes to instruction, how much more does Our Lord? In today’s Gospel for the Memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II, He uses repetition in giving instructions to Saint Peter (see John 21:15-17).
“Do you love me? Feed my lambs.”
“Do you love me? Tend my sheep.”
“Do you love me? Feed my lambs.”
“Do you love me?”
It’s not hard for me to find the “lambs” in my life . . . I have eleven of them. And a husband, brother, parents, friends, and more. But how often do I really make a firm connection in my head and in my heart that my love for Jesus is lived out in my care for the people in front of me? Not often enough. Do you love me? Our hearts yearn to say the words just like Saint Peter—“Lord, you know that I love you” (John 21:17).
“Tend my sheep.”
Jesus, help us to see this reality in our lives each day. The tenderness of the Good Shepherd has been entrusted to us in each little action of every moment. We love Him in each meal, in each act of service, in each gesture of kindness, in each moment of patience, and in each second of self-gift. It’s what He is asking of us . . . again and again.
Lord, you know that I love You. Help me, then, to love You.
Blythe Fike is the wife of Kirby and mother of eleven smallish kids in small town SoCal. She firmly believes sanctity is found in the everyday and is trying hard to live that truth, despite her countless fumbles. She enjoys sunshine in heavy doses, good music, and babysitters. She is a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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