“Do you love me?”
John 21:1-19
Dear Parents and Friends of St. Michael’s School,
For many of us, our First Holy Communion is a day that stands out as one of the most memorable in our lives. It’s hard to remember what happened last week or last month, but the image of that special day, when we were only 8 or 9 years old, is clear as a bell. We congratulate our second graders, who received the Holy Eucharist for the first time this past weekend, and we welcome them into our Catholic faith family. Anticipation and joy from the students, as well as their parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends emanated throughout the Church. It was a celebration of love and hope.
In the gospel reading this past weekend, some of Jesus’ disciples go fishing in the Sea of Tiberias and come up empty-handed. As a child growing up in Wisconsin, I frequently went fishing with my dad, and I remember the feeling of frustration after sitting on the lake for hours on end with barely a nibble on my line. Surely the disciples feel defeated, too, after an entire night, and when a man they do not recognize calls to them from the shore and tells them to cast their nets to the right side of the boat, no doubt they are skeptical. But when they do and the net overflows with fish, John recognizes that the man is the Lord. As they drag the wondrously laden net to the beach, He greets them with a breakfast of bread and fish. Christ rewards the disciples for their patience and trust by providing for them with overflowing abundance. This is the third time Christ reveals himself to the disciples after His resurrection. After their meal, Jesus asks Simon Peter three times, “Do you love me?”
Just as Jesus asked His disciples to “Follow Me,” Jesus asks each one of us to do the same. Our second graders took the first step this past weekend with great pride, but the road, as we know, will not always be easy. When they get frustrated or feel defeated, we need to remind them (and ourselves) that one of the best ways we can show Jesus that we love Him is through frequent reception of the Sacraments, because Christ, too, will reward us richly for our patience and trust, even when we are skeptical.
