Homily – Third Sunday of Easter (C)

Do you love me? is a question you would not ask of anybody – only for the ones who have established a connection deep enough.  It comes up during a time of a straining relationship when one has experienced immense pain caused by the very people they love.

If we look at the relationship between Jesus and Peter, it was Peter who, after all said “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away” (Mt 26:33).  After all, it was Peter who denied Jesus three times before his crucifixion.  We would expect someone after being betrayed to be furious.  However, we are talking about a risen Christ no longer controlled by his emotions.

The risen Jesus now gives Peter a chance to make amends by repeatedly asking the same question.  Peter’s responses gradually became firmer, maybe out of annoyance but more to what the risen Christ was referring to – Peter’s betrayal.

It is interesting to note how their relationship developed through key moments.  Perhaps for each of us, we may be moving back and forth between the three stages of relationship with Christ: the pre-Crucifixion, the post-Resurrection and Pentecost.

In the pre-Crucifixion, there are times we may betray Christ by choosing our own comforts, protecting our own image and seeking our own safety.  We fail to persevere through the “thick and thin” which is the nature of following Christ.  The post-Resurrection is our encounter with the risen Lord.  With this encounter we are more confident.  This encounter allows us to make bold claims, commitments and plans before any real concrete actions.  In other words, we are just giving lip service.

At Pentecost, is when we come to terms with fulfilling the statement of love we make to Jesus.  Empowered by the Spirit, the Acts of Apostles recounts the crippled were healed; the faithful gathered in community and looked after each other by rationing food and sharing in common.  Importantly they gathered around the Word and the Breaking of Bread.

Do you love me? is a question for Peter, as it is for us.   

By Fr Hoang Dinh