A love so great
Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” (John 21:15-17) And three times Jesus told Peter to care for His sheep. The three-fold affirmation of Peter’s love for Christ counteracts his previous three-fold denial of Christ. The Peter after the Resurrection of Christ was no longer the same Peter just a few days ago. Peter, who once feared being pointed out as a companion of Christ has become the Peter who has a better understanding of who Jesus really is; he has become a Peter who would do anything that Jesus asked of him.
But that was not all; Jesus then said to Peter: “Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” (John 21:18) These words spoken by Christ has been widely understood by believers as a figurative reference to the future crucifixion of Peter. Jesus knew how much Peter loved him; He knew that Peter would later on give up his life for Him.
A lot of people believe that God, who is good, would never ask anyone to die for Him. On the other hand, there are also some people who believe that God does ask people to die for Him. Who’s right and who’s wrong? When Jesus was telling His disciples the conditions of discipleship, He said: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39, 16:25; c.f. Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24) For sure, Jesus is not some kind of cold-hearted cult leader who demands His followers to do His bidding. A better way to understand what Jesus said is: whoever loves me enough to be willing to give up his life for my sake will find true meaning in this life and eternal life in the next.
That is why the conversation between Jesus and Peter in John’s Gospel is so telling. Jesus began by asking Peter whether he loved Him more than anyone or anything else. And Peter affirmed his love for Christ not once but three times. Jesus told Peter to follow Him (cf. Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17) when He first called him by the shore of the Sea of Galilee; Jesus told Peter the second time, “Follow me” (John 21:19) again by the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The first call was for Peter to become a disciple, the second call was for Peter to follow Him to the very end.
From there, Peter would go the next step and after Pentecost, boldly proclaim the Gospel openly and courageously with a burning love for Christ. Like Peter, many more through the ages have given up their lives for Jesus’ sake because of their faith and love for Christ. The martyrs have shed blood and died for Christ, but there are also the confessors, and the holy men and women who denied themselves to follow Christ and those who died to themselves for the sake of God’s Kingdom. Can we find such love in our hearts to become one of them?
May is the month of Mary! The May Crowning of Our Lady will be before the 10:30 am Mass on May 1st. Mary, Virgin forever, most worthy Queen of the world, pray for our peace and salvation, for you are the Mother of Christ, the Lord and Savior of all. Alleluia!
Anointing of the Sick
Immediately after Mass today, Fr. Bill will administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick in the main church.
Attention all parents with children from Grades K to 8. There will be a planning meeting for our children’s faith formation for next year. Fr. Bill would like to meet with all of you after Mass in the conference room after the Anointing of the Sick.
Last week, we have collected $830 for the Archbishops Annual Appeal. We have met our goal of $3,800 for this year.
Beginning this year, we must report all donations to the Archbishops Annual Appeal to the archdiocese. Therefore, all year-end statements for donations made to the Archbishops Annual Appeal will be mailed to you directly from the archdiocese. All other donations will still show up on your year-end statements from Holy Name of Jesus.
Thank you for your support!
Prayer List: Jiang Mama, Ma Yilan, Zheng Zhiming, Wang Dacheng, Carolyn Johnson, Pan Bohao, Long Guorui, Zhang Qiang, Xu Taicheng and Qiu Laihao.