“Do you love me?”
HOMILY FOR THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER C
Most of us will be able to identify with Peter as we see him portrayed in the readings this Sunday. Peter is all-heart. He is impulsive, passionate, strong, and at the same time deeply flawed. His mind and heart are on full display, starting with the extraordinary transformation shown in his fearless speaking out as leader of the apostles when he and the apostles were on trial before the Jewish religious leaders. Peter proclaims to them Jesus who died on the cross and was raised from the dead. And when the Sanhedrin forbade the apostles to preach in the name of Jesus, Peter boldly replied that obedience to God comes before obedience to men.
But Peter had come a long way to reach this moment before the Sanhedrin. The Gospel for today gives us hints of his journey of Peter from betrayal of Jesus to being the fearless leader of the apostles. The message for us this Sunday is that we can also be transformed by the forgiveness of the risen Jesus.
Imagine what a tumultuous time those first days after Easter Sunday must have been for the disciples of Jesus. In their confusion, excitement, and fear, they go back to fishing on the Sea of Galilee, the place where it all began. It was there that they had first met Jesus, and the journey had started. And now again on the shore of the Sea of Galilee Jesus appeared to Peter and the other disciples.
It would not be too hard to imagine what Peter must have been going through, personally. Probably he was haunted by his denials of Jesus. Probably he thought that he had gone too far, that his denials had somehow disqualified him as an apostle. Even though Jesus had removed the doubts of Thomas, Peter would have likely believed that his denial of Jesus was something much more serious.
Peter’s story is representative of that of all the disciples and, in fact of each of us. Even if the other apostles hadn’t explicitly denied Jesus (and perhaps they did and it was just not recorded), they all ran away and deserted him when he needed their support most.
The charcoal fire on the beach in today’s Gospel is a powerful reminder of another charcoal fire in the recent history of Peter: the fire in the courtyard of the high priest, where Peter had denied Jesus. These are the only two references to a charcoal fire in the Gospel of John, indeed in all of Scripture. It’s not accidental that these two charcoal fires are presented to us. John the Evangelist wants us to make the connection. Peter and us with him, are reminded of the night of his betrayal of Jesus, when three times he denied Jesus before the cock crowed. Now beside another charcoal fire, Peter is given the opportunity to affirm his faithfulness. Three times Jesus asks him, “Do you love me?”
Isn’t it true that each of us can say that we have been humbled by failures in our past? As with Peter, Jesus gives us the opportunity to start again as he restores us to faithfulness. Perhaps there are profound reminders in our own lives which serve to remind us of the journey that we have been on with Jesus. These are the ‘charcoal fires’ which are given to us to help us remember the gifts of grace we have received.
Notice Peter’s passionate answer in each case as Jesus questions him. Remember how at the Last Supper he had said he would die for Jesus. Now, even though humbled by failure, he declares his love and faithfulness. And, significantly, as Jesus predicted, Peter did end up dying for his Lord. In response to Peter’s affirmation of love, Jesus says in today’s passage, “When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will fasten your belt for you and bring you where you do not wish to go.” John tells us that Jesus said this to show by what death Peter was to glorify God.
From other sources we know it happened by crucifixion in Rome, during the persecution of the Roman Emperor, Nero, around 67 AD.
In the huge catch of fish, we are also meant to remember the parallel Gospel story recorded by Luke, of another huge catch of fish. Jesus had been teaching from Peter’s boat, and after he had finished, he told Peter to put out from the shore to go fishing. Peter responded that they had fished all night and had caught nothing, but all the same he did as Jesus told him. The result was such a huge catch that the one boat could not cope with all the fish. Peter went down on his knees in the boat and said to Jesus, “Lord, leave me because I am a sinful man.” And Jesus responded by calling Peter to be a fisher of men.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, in a very similar scenario, after catching nothing all night, Jesus shouted to them to put out the nets. And after another huge catch of fish, John, the beloved disciple said, “It is the Lord.” Peter jumped out of the boat with hardly any clothes on, to get to Jesus as quickly as possible.
The Gospel for this Sunday is also about recognizing Jesus in the Eucharist. Whenever we have Jesus taking bread, blessing it, and giving it to the disciples, we have a reference to the Eucharist. On the lakeside, in giving them the fish and the bread, Jesus was reminding the disciples of the multiplication of the loaves and the memorial of the Last Supper.
There are three points that we can take from the Gospel for this Sunday. The first is the importance of going back to our beginnings in the Christian journey, our first love. Peter and the other disciples, in a time of turmoil and difficulty, went back to the place where their journey with Jesus had begun. Similarly, we need to recall the beginnings of our vocation, from time to time. Each Easter we recall our new beginning in baptism, for instance.
We can all reflect on key moments of conversion or when we have experienced God in life-changing ways. Our receiving of mercy in the past is key to living in gratitude and joy in the present. In the Book of Revelation, the Church in Ephesus is challenged by Jesus that they had abandoned the love they had at first. Let not the same be said of us.
The second point is about our “it is the Lord” moments - times of recognizing the risen Jesus in the different situations on our lives. The risen Jesus is among us, and it takes consideration and sensitivity to recognize him, as it did for the disciples following the resurrection. Think of sacramental encounters, such as the Eucharist, or a special experience of Reconciliation, and recognize the risen Jesus present to you.
Thirdly, the Lord asks us, as he asked Peter: “Do you love me?” It is a question that we must answer over and over again in our lives. Our answer is at the heart of a fundamental choice for God. Our answer is at the heart of our moral decisions and how we choose to live our lives. Our answer is at the heart of our religious practice. And as we respond to Jesus’ question, we must consider what Jesus’ response to our answer is. Jesus commissioned Peter. What is he asking us to do? What is he asking us to be?
To us too, today, Jesus asks the question: “Do you love me?” He asks this knowing our weakness. Peter shows us how to answer. We follow Jesus, trusting in him, who knows everything about us; we do not rely on our ability to be faithful, but rather on Jesus’ unshakable faithfulness to us.
