Fr Richard words for Saturday of the 7th Week of Easter
Esteem for others
St Peter’s love for St John, his brother in Christ, becomes
very evident in today’s Gospel. Peter is concerned that the beloved disciple
should have a share in his significant mission to feed the Lord’s lambs and
sheep.
Seeing John, Peter said to Jesus: “What about him Lord?” In
these words, we can see the deep respect and esteem that one fisherman had for
the other. Peter knew that Jesus had a “greater and more familiar love”, as St
Augustine puts it [Catena Aurea, John 21:19b-23], for John than any other
disciple. Peter will have witnessed the love John showed for Christ. He will
have admired John for staying close to Jesus throughout his Passion, for being
at the foot of the Cross with Mary; in contrast to he who had disowned the Lord
three times.
It’s an important lesson for us: in humility, “to count
others better than yourselves” (Phil 2:3). To admire the faithfulness of our
brothers and sisters, to be open to learning from their example of prayer and charity,
to rejoice in their gifts and talents – these dispositions lead us to be
humble. They will bring us closer into unity with our brothers and sisters, and
with God Himself.
Despite St John’s purity and closeness to the Lord, in the
end Jesus chose Peter instead to be the rock on which His Church was built. Even
if we might not grasp why the Lord has given us a particular mission, all that
matters is that we accept God’s will and, with the help of the Spirit, strive
to carry it out.
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