Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter / Optional Memorial of Saint Norbert, Bishop
John 21: 15-19
“Do you love me more than these?”

At the heart of today’s Gospel is a simple yet profound question Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me more than these?” It is not a question of reproach but of love. Jesus does not remind Peter of his failure, his threefold denial. Instead, He offers him a path of restoration—through love. Only love can rebuild what was broken. Only love can make us true disciples and faithful shepherds.

Peter, humbled by his past, can only reply, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” And this is enough for Jesus. He entrusts to Peter the care of His flock—not because Peter is perfect, but because he has been forgiven, and he has learned to love.

This is the foundation of all Christian ministry—not power, not prestige, but love. To be a shepherd, whether in the Church, in the family, or in the world, we must first be loved by Christ and then love Him in return. And that love must overflow into service: to feed the hungry, to tend the wounded, to walk with the weak, to bring back the lost.

Peter’s journey reminds us that we are never defined by our failures. The Lord always gives us another chance—if we have the humility to accept it and the courage to begin again. Even in our worst moments, Jesus walks beside us, asking not for explanations, but for love.

Let us then hear His voice anew: “Do you love me?” And let our answer be not only with words, but with lives poured out in service, in compassion, in faithfulness.

May the Holy Spirit grant us this grace—to love Jesus more than anything else, and to show that love by caring for one another.

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Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025