In the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today we encounter leadership in different forms as we are encouraged to base our leadership on love for all the diverse people in our community.
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| Leadership and Love |
The reading from the Book of Acts explains the appearance of Paul before the weak King Agrippa.
* [25:9–12] Paul refuses to acknowledge that the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem has any jurisdiction over him now (Acts 25:11). Paul uses his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the jurisdiction of the Emperor (Nero, ca. A.D. 60) (Acts 25:12). This move broke the deadlock between Roman protective custody of Paul and the plan of his enemies to kill him (25:3).1
Psalm 103 moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people.
* [Psalm 103] The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Ps 103:1–5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Ps 103:6–18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Ps 103:11–13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Ps 103:14–18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Ps 103:19–22).2
Jesus and Peter have an intimate conversation about love and the responsibilities of leadership in the Gospel of John.
* [21:15–17] In these three verses there is a remarkable variety of synonyms: two different Greek verbs for love (see note on Jn 15:13); two verbs for feed/tend; two nouns for sheep; two verbs for know. But apparently there is no difference of meaning. The threefold confession of Peter is meant to counteract his earlier threefold denial (Jn 18:17, 25, 27). The First Vatican Council cited these verses in defining that Jesus after his resurrection gave Peter the jurisdiction of supreme shepherd and ruler over the whole flock.3
Msgr. Charles Pope, pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian, a vibrant parish community in Washington, DC., asks do we have, in the Gospel, a distinction without a difference, a distinction to die for or something in between?
Jesus is asking Peter for agape love. Agape love being the highest and most spiritual love wherein Peter is called to Love Jesus above all things and all people, including himself. But Peter, finally being honest says to Jesus in effect, Lord you know that I love you (only) with brotherly love (philo se). Jesus is not disappointed for entrusts the role of chief Shepherd to Peter anyway. But again he asks for agape love and Peter answers the same. A third time Jesus asks, but this time he comes to Peter’s level and says, in effect, “OK Peter then do you love me with brotherly love (phileis me)?”4
It is clear to Tom Drzaic that Jesus goes to an extreme to emphasize that proclaiming love for him is not enough.
If we truly love Jesus, we are called to tend and feed his sheep and lambs just as he told Peter to. We can tend to others by living out our faith freely and openly proclaiming our love for Jesus, which when practiced, will naturally lead to feeding others, spiritually and physically, whether it is with our presence, our work, a kind word or financial assistance. This love is also called to be applied to all, from caring and protecting the most vulnerable (the lambs) among us to the remainder of his flock (the sheep) who should be cared for and treated with grace, dignity and respect in all circumstances.5
Don Schwager quotes “Do you love me? Feed my sheep,” by Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Christ rose again in the flesh, and Peter rose in the spirit because, when Christ died in his passion, Peter died by his denial. Christ the Lord was raised from the dead, and out of his love he raised Peter. He questioned him about the love he was confessing and entrusted him with his sheep. After all, what benefit could Peter confer on Christ by the mere fact of his loving Christ? If Christ loves you, it is to your advantage, not Christ's. And if you love Christ, it is to your advantage, not Christ's. And yet Christ the Lord wanted to indicate how people ought to show that they love Christ. And he made it plain enough by entrusting him with his sheep. 'Do you love me?' 'I do.' 'Feed my sheep.' All this once, all this a second time, all this a third time. Peter made no other reply than that he loved him. The Lord asked no other question but whether he loved him. When Peter answered, our Lord did nothing else but entrust his sheep to him." (excerpt from SERMON 229n.1.4)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 21:15-19 shares that like Peter, we can think that because we have fallen short in the past, Jesus is no longer interested in our friendship.
But that’s just not true! Jesus hasn’t moved on, leaving us with nothing but memories of his love. His heart continues to be wide open and full of forgiveness. He is standing before us asking us if we can still open our hearts to him. Can we move past shame and confess that no matter what we have done, there’s still a love for Jesus in our hearts?7
Friar Jude Winkler provides background to Paul’s long imprisonment in Caesarea for his own safety and his status as a Roman citizen. The dialog in the Gospel shows Jesus meets us where we are. Friar Jude comments that the author of the Gospel wrote after Peter had been crucified in Rome.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, exhorts that we are called to be larger than who we can imagine being in this moment. Sr. Joan Brown works for climate justice. She writes about three foundational principles needed for harmony and wholeness. The cosmic principles are a new way of understanding, seeing, and acting in a world that seems to be torn apart by a misunderstanding of the beauty of diversity, the holiness of essence, and the evolutionary pull of communion.
All of us who live, breathe, and walk upon this amazing, holy Mother Earth are called to understand the cosmic principles inherent in the interdependent energy dynamic that throbs through every element of life. Nothing exists without these three interdependent energies that emerged from the first flaring forth over 13.8 billion years ago: differentiation or diversity; subjectivity, interiority, or essence; and communion or community and interconnectedness. These energies offer vital lessons for the critical times in which we live, where diversity causes conflict, living is often at a superficial level, and individualism runs rampant. [1]8
Feeding our sheep today requires us to welcome people who have been outside our circle into a communion energized with Love that our world in crisis needs to follow to wholeness.
References
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(n.d.). Acts, chapter 25 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/25
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(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 103 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/103
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(n.d.). John, chapter 21 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/21
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(2010, April 17). A Distinction without a Difference, Or a Distinction to Die For .... Retrieved June 7, 2019, from http://blog.adw.org/2010/04/a-distinction-without-a-difference-or-a-distinction-to-die-for-wrestling-with-the-subtleties-of-john-2116-peter-do-you-love-me/
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(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
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(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
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(n.d.). 7th Week of Easter - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily Meditations .... Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/07
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(n.d.). Diversity, Essence, and Communion — Center for Action and .... Retrieved June 7, 2019, from https://cac.org/diversity-essence-and-communion-2019-06-07/
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