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(In many dioceses, the Solemnity of the Ascension is celebrated on the Sunday of the Seventh Week of Easter. If you celebrate the Ascension in your diocese today, see the reflection from the previous Thursday.)
The Hour of Glory
Seventh Sunday of Easter (When the Ascension was celebrated Thursday—Year A)
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.” John 17:1–2
The entirety of Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel is traditionally referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. This prayer concludes the Last Supper Discourse, which we have been reading for the past two weeks. It marks a transition from the conclusion of Jesus’ public ministry to His Passion and glorification. With His teaching completed, Jesus begins His prayerful offering of His life to the Father. The prayer can be divided into three sections:
- Verses 1–11a: Jesus’ intimate prayer to the Father focuses on their mutual glorification through the completion of His sacrifice. This “hour” of sacrifice and glory is now at hand.
- Verses 11b–19: Jesus prays for the disciples who accompanied Him during His earthly ministry, asking for their protection, sanctification, and perseverance in their mission.
- Verses 20–26: Jesus’ prayer extends to all future believers, the Church throughout time, including us today. He prays for unity among believers, rooted in the love of the Father and the Son.
Today, in liturgical Year A, we read the first section of this prayer, when Jesus speaks of His divine mission and His imminent return to the glory He shared with the Father before creation. This prayer highlights a central theme in John’s Gospel: Jesus’ “hour.”
The theme of the “hour” was introduced at the wedding at Cana, the beginning of Jesus’ signs. When the Blessed Mother intercedes for the couple, saying, “They have no wine,” Jesus replies, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:3–4). From that moment, Jesus references the concept of His “hour” throughout His ministry, pointing to the appointed time for His Passion and glorification.
In today’s High Priestly Prayer, Jesus makes His final and definitive reference to His hour: “Father, the hour has come…” (John 17:1). The hour of His sacrifice, the pinnacle of His earthly mission, has now arrived. Though Jesus was fully aware of the suffering He was about to endure, He did not enter into that suffering with dread or fear. Rather, He did so with eager resolve, knowing that everything He had done throughout His life and public ministry pointed to this moment, which had finally come.
Jesus’ human disposition while praying at this pivotal moment offers us an invitation to approach His Sacrifice in the way He did. His “hour” continues in our lives every time we are invited to embrace His Cross. Therefore, every opportunity for sacrifice—no matter how small—must be prayerfully embraced in union with Jesus’ prayer.
Jesus’ prayer teaches us that sacrifice is not something to resist or begrudge. Instead, every sacrifice becomes an opportunity to glorify God and receive a share in His glory. When we embrace sacrifice with generosity and trust, we unite ourselves to Jesus’ perfect Sacrifice, participating in His work of redemption and giving glory to the Father.
Reflect today on the interior disposition Jesus manifested as He faced His imminent suffering and death. He did not cower or hesitate. He looked at His Cross with divine eyes, seeing His Sacrifice as the pinnacle of His life’s mission and the source of glory for Him and His Father. As we strive to embrace our own sacrifices, turn to Christ in prayer, asking for His grace and strength to offer His prayer as He offered it to the Father.
Most glorious High Priest, when Your hour of suffering had arrived, You embraced that Sacrifice with unwavering resolve. That resolve revealed the glory You shared with the Father. Please draw me into Your sacrificial love and help me to prayerfully choose every sacrifice to which I am called with the same determination modeled in Your High Priestly Prayer. Jesus, I trust in You.
(In many dioceses, the Solemnity of the Ascension is celebrated on the Sunday of the Seventh Week of Easter. If you celebrate the Ascension in your diocese today, see the reflection from the previous Thursday.)
Consecrated in Truth
Seventh Sunday of Easter (When the Ascension was celebrated Thursday—Year B)
“I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.” John 17:15–17
When Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate, He declared, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” Pilate, responding skeptically, asked, “What is truth?” (John 18:37–38). This question—posed just hours after the Last Supper when Jesus prayed for His disciples—highlights the skepticism and relativism of the world, in stark contrast to the divine truth Jesus reveals: “Your word is truth.”
Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel is often referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. It concludes the Last Supper Discourse, Jesus’ final sermon before His Passion. With His teaching complete, Jesus turns to the Father in prayer and offers a threefold intercession: first for Himself, then for His disciples, and finally for all future believers—including us. Today, we read the second section of this prayer, where Jesus intercedes for His disciples, asking the Father for their protection, sanctification, and unity. He prays that they will be kept safe from the evil one, remain faithful to the truth revealed to them, and that the Father will “consecrate them in the truth.”
To be “consecrated” means to be made holy, set apart for a sacred purpose, dedicated exclusively to God, and empowered to fulfill that purpose. This consecration required that the disciples be purified, sanctified, and prepared for divine service. Their consecration unfolds in two ways. First, Jesus consecrated them by teaching them the truth throughout His public ministry. Over the course of three years, they listened to His sermons, witnessed His works, and engaged in deep conversation with Him. Though they did not yet fully understand everything He taught, Jesus’ Word laid the foundation for their faith. The truth had been proclaimed to them, and the Holy Spirit would later lead them into a fuller understanding of these many truths.
The disciples were consecrated by receiving the truth of the Father’s Word. But Jesus points to an even greater act of consecration when He declares, “And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth” (John 17:19). Here, Jesus refers to His impending Passion. His self-offering on the Cross is the ultimate source of their sanctification. This teaches us that consecration in truth is not primarily accomplished by receiving Jesus’ teaching alone; it is fulfilled by belonging to the Truth Himself. Jesus is not just a teacher of divine truths—He is the Truth: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). Through His suffering, death, and Resurrection, Jesus becomes the source of holiness and transformation for His disciples. By offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice, He makes it possible for them—and for us—to be consecrated, set apart for God’s mission and empowered to fulfill it.
Reflect today on Jesus’ twofold mission to consecrate His disciples and, by extension, us. Our consecration begins with hearing, understanding, and believing the Word of God. This first form of consecration prepares us for the deeper consecration we experience through Jesus’ Paschal Sacrifice. To be consecrated in truth by His Passion and Resurrection means we are united to Him—we die to sin and rise to new life with Him. In this consecration, His Sacrifice becomes our sacrifice, and His prayer becomes our prayer. By belonging to the Truth, we are not only transformed into instruments of His love and holiness; we are also empowered to carry His truth into the world, continuing the mission He entrusted to His disciples.
Lord of all Truth, You not only reveal the truths of Heaven and Earth, You are the Truth, the Eternal Word of the Father. Please consecrate me in truth by feeding my mind with the truths of our faith and by drawing my whole being into the Sacrifice of Your Cross by which You sanctify the world. Jesus, I trust in You.
(In many dioceses, the Solemnity of the Ascension is celebrated on the Sunday fo the Seventh Week of Easter. If you celebrate the Ascension in your diocese today, see the reflection from the previous Thursday.)
Sharing in Christ’s Glory
Seventh Sunday of Easter (When the Ascension was celebrated Thursday—Year C)
“Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.” John 17:20–23
Jesus’ prayer is packed with depth and meaning. It comes from the third part of His High Priestly Prayer, prayed at the end of the Last Supper, just before going out to the Garden of Gethsemane where He would be arrested.
In the first part of this prayer, Jesus lays the foundation by speaking about His unity with the Father and their mutual glorification. In the second part, Jesus prays for His disciples, inviting them into His intimate communion with the Father and, by extension, the mission and glory He receives from the Father. In the third part of His prayer, which is today’s Gospel, Jesus shifts His focus to all who will come to believe in Him through the preaching of the disciples. This includes the entire Church throughout time—and each of us.
This threefold movement reveals the heart of Jesus’ mission: to draw all believers into the perfect communion of love shared between the Father and the Son. Through this unity, the Church becomes a visible sign of God’s love to the world. The prayer extends from Jesus and the Father to include the Apostles and, ultimately, all who will come to share in this divine communion through the Church.
The unity we are called to share with the Father and the Son is so profound and mysterious that it can leave us in awe when we ponder it. Jesus did not simply pray that we agree with Him or think alike. Instead, He prayed for a unity that touches the deepest level of our being: “May all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us.” Sit with that prayer for a while. Jesus desires our unity with Him to be as lifegiving and profound as His unity with the Father. In other words, we are invited to share fully in the perfection of divine communion. God wants to live in us as we live in Him.
When we enter into this unity and allow God to dwell in us, three extraordinary blessings result. First, we are “brought to perfection as one.” Unity with Jesus perfects us, making us holy as we are transformed in His love. Second, as we are perfected, Jesus shares with us the glory the Father gave to Him. We not only give glory to God; we receive and participate in God’s glory, sharing in His divine life and His victorious love. Finally, our unity with Jesus bestows upon us His mission, the mission entrusted to Him by the Father, which He fulfilled perfectly. Though He ascended into Heaven and completed His earthly mission, He continues His mission through us, as we live lives of sacrificial love.
Reflect today on the transforming mystery of the unity to which we are called with the Father and the Son. This unity purifies and perfects us, allows us to share in God’s glory, and empowers us to continue Christ’s mission of drawing all people to salvation. Nothing is more rewarding, for this unity of being, reward, and mission is our greatest joy and fulfillment.
Lord Jesus, You and the Father are one, a God of perfect unity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thank You for inviting me into Your very life, Your glory, and Your mission, by drawing me into communion with You. May I, in turn, become an instrument of Your sacrificial love to others, so as to draw them into Your glorious life. Jesus, I trust in You.
From Clarity to the Cross
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
The disciples said to Jesus, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.” John 16:29–30
Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus often speaks in allegories and metaphors that the disciples struggle to comprehend. Among these, He referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd, the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the True Vine, and Living Water. However, during the Last Supper, Jesus speaks clearly and openly, without the veiled language they were accustomed to. He speaks of the Father’s love for them, His imminent departure and return to the Father, and how He would send the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of Truth—to guide them into all truth.
As the Apostles listened to Jesus speak plainly, they rejoiced in a newfound clarity, indicating that their faith had reached a deeper level. At this pivotal moment, just hours before Jesus’ arrest and Passion, their new insight must have amazed even them: “Now we realize that you know everything…we believe that you came from God.”
This new level of understanding was just the beginning of a journey that would lead them deeper into all Truth in the years to come. However, despite their new understanding, Jesus quickly adds that they will soon “be scattered” and leave Jesus alone. Their newfound clarity would quickly come face to face with the Cross.
The experience of the Apostles teaches us much about our own spiritual journeys. Prior to the Last Supper, the Apostles grew in faith through years of listening to Jesus, grappling with veiled language, and witnessing miracles. As Jesus spoke plainly and lovingly during the Passover meal, He lifted the veil more fully to help their faith blossom. He did this, in part, because He knew they would be traumatized by His Passion—and indeed, they were.
In each of our lives, we find a similar pattern. As we learn to pray, meditate on the Gospels, and study divine truths, we are encouraged as we begin to realize the treasure we have discovered. We might then experience a moment of clarity, sensing God speaking directly to us. When that happens, it’s easy to assume that everything in life will immediately be easier. Yet the Cross often comes next. Like the Apostles, we might stumble, become confused or fearful, and scatter.
The lesson taught by the Apostles is one we must grasp. When we are gifted with spiritual insights and consolations, finding that life and God’s Word make more sense, we must remember that these consolations and moments of clarity must deepen. To draw us closer to Him, God needs to purify our faith and strengthen our wills. He does this by preparing us for a fuller participation in His Sacrifice.
When we face a heavy cross, our first response is often to resist it. We might wonder where God is and why this suffering has afflicted us. The lesson from the Apostles’ lives is that the crosses we face become our greatest blessings when they are united to Christ’s Cross. The momentary confusion and affliction must give way to God’s power to deepen us in ways that good spiritual feelings and insights alone cannot.
Once the Holy Spirit descended fully on the disciples at Pentecost, their clarity and consolations were even greater, but so were the crosses they endured. The journey of faith to which we are called is first and foremost a journey into Christ’s Passion. We need many moments of clarity to help us understand the value of the sacrifices we are invited to make. We need consolations so that our wills are strengthened when strength is needed the most.
Reflect today on your own journey ahead. As you look to the future, know that God wants to teach you much and lift the veil from His divine truths. He does so not because He wants everything to be easy or one unending consolation, but because He wants you to share in the sacrificial love revealed through His Passion. In the end, it is that purified love that has the potential to make us holy and share in the glory of the saints.
My revealing Lord, You lifted the veil to divine mysteries for the Apostles during the Last Supper as a way of preparing them for Your coming Passion and the confusion they would endure. As I journey through life, I trust that You will continually reveal Yourself to me so that I can share more fully in Your sacrificial love, which is the only way to the glory of the Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You.
Sharing In Eternal Glory
Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them.” John 17:9–10
Though the Church has traditionally summarized sin under the seven capital sins, sin is also understood to arise from three primary sources: the flesh, the world, and the devil. The “flesh” refers to the disordered desires and passions that stem from our fallen human nature. The “world” signifies the societal values, materialism, and secular ideologies that promote a lifestyle contrary to God’s will. The “devil” represents the personal, spiritual adversary who seeks to lead us astray through deception, lies, and the stirring of sinful desires. These three sources constantly seek to undermine our relationship with God.
We are called to resist these temptations and remain firm in faith. This is accomplished by relying on grace to silence these sources. The flesh is subdued and moderated by the virtue of temperance, the devil is overcome as we discern the voice of God, and the world is overcome by seeking the true glory to which we are called. It is this third source, and its remedy, that Jesus particularly addresses in today’s passage.
This prayer concludes Jesus’ Last Supper Discourse and is prayed just before He goes to the Garden of Gethsemane, where His Passion begins with His arrest. These final words of Jesus encapsulate the ultimate purpose of life. Within this prayer, He prays to His Father, “Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5).
From a human perspective, we naturally desire glory. However, from a worldly perspective, earthly “glory” is a temptation, as it leads us to seek the praise of creatures over the glory that God desires to bestow. Jesus does not dismiss the value of glory; He simply points to its true source—the Father. Jesus’ glory does not originate from human praise. His glory stems from His perfect fulfillment of the Father’s will, offering Himself as the one and only Sacrifice for sins. Through His Passion, He is glorified by the Father in His human nature and manifests the glory He has always enjoyed as the eternal Son of God. He will continue to manifest this glory for all eternity.
Though Jesus begins this prayer for Himself, He quickly includes “the ones you have given me”—His disciples, and ultimately, everyone who will come to believe in Him through them, including us. His prayer is for all who are united to Jesus and the Father, pointing out that Jesus is glorified in them because they fulfill His will and continue His mission, which results in our participation in His eternal glory.
This passage beautifully illustrates that the attainment of worldly glory and recognition pales in comparison to the true glory we are invited to share. We are called to participate in Jesus’ own glory, the eternal glory He shares with the Father. We do this by being united to Him in His earthly mission of living sacrificial love, which manifests His glory—the true glory for which we long.
Reflect today on your natural desire for glory. God places this desire in us, but the values of the fallen world tempt us to seek a passing glory bestowed by others’ opinions. The only way to fulfill the desire for true glory is to unite ourselves to Christ, including His Passion and death, so as to receive the glory bestowed upon Him by the Father. This is why martyrdom, the ultimate act of sacrificial love, is considered glorious. It is the highest expression of participation in Christ’s own suffering, which manifested His glory. Sacrifice, selflessness, virtue, and perfect conformity to Christ all lead us into this eternal glory. Living transformed in Christ bestows that glory here and now. When we die, we will enjoy forever in heaven the level of glory we participated in on earth. Seek glory—true glory—and you will find that your natural desires are fulfilled by supernatural grace.
Lord of all glory, with Your Father, You are eternally glorified, and the glory bestowed upon You by the Father from all eternity shines forth. You invite us to share in Your glory by sharing in the earthly means by which that glory was manifested—Your Passion. May I always seek this holy and pure glory above that which the world offers, so as to share in it forever in Heaven with You and all the saints. Jesus, I trust in You.
Our Identity in God
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
“Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.” John 17:11
In the ancient world, a name was not only a means of identification but also an expression of the authority and power that the person possessed. For instance, when a king or ruler issued a decree, it was done “in the name” of the king, meaning with his full authority and power behind it.
In the Bible, the “name” of God is much more than a simple designation or label; it signifies the full revelation of God’s identity, character, and power. The concept of God’s name is deeply tied to His nature and His actions in the world. His name represents who God is and His relationship with His people.
In the Old Testament, God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and instructed him to go to Pharaoh to bring His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt. Moses inquired, “But… if I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what do I tell them?” God replied to Moses: “I am who I am.” Then He added: “This is what you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:13–14).
God’s mysterious name—“I AM WHO I AM” or simply “I AM”—is also His identity. It expresses God’s eternal existence and His self-sufficiency. He is the one who exists by His own nature, without beginning or end, having sovereignty over all creation.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus identifies Himself with the divine name numerous times: “I am he;” “I am the Bread of Life;” “I am the Light of the World;” “Before Abraham was, I AM;” “I am the Gate;” “I am the Good Shepherd;” “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life;” “I am the True Vine;” and “I told you that I AM.” Therefore, when Jesus prayed to the Father, “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me…,” His prayer was authoritative, by which the Father’s will is implemented, because Jesus is I AM, and in that name, He prays.
Jesus’ prayer was “that they may be one just as we are one.” This prayer should give us great hope. To “be one” with God, just as the Father and Son are one, reveals that we are called to share in God’s very life, to be united to Him in a way that goes beyond intellectual agreement or friendship. We are invited into God’s unity, taking our identity in Him, sharing in His very essence and life. We become members of Christ’s Body, the Church, acting in Him, with Him, and through Him. This is why Jesus said three times during the Last Supper that whatever we ask the Father in His name, He will give us.
In 2 Peter 1:4, we read that God’s power has enabled us to escape corruption and evil desire and has bestowed upon us “precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature.” This foundational Scripture has led many Church Fathers to speak of our high calling to “divinization.” As Saint Athanasius of Alexandria famously said, “For He was made man that we might be made God; and He manifested Himself by a body that we might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the insolence of men that we might inherit immortality” (On the Incarnation, 54:3).
Reflect today on the high calling you have received. You are invited to share in God’s life, to take your identity in Him, to live and act in God’s divine name, exercising His authority and manifesting His sacrificial love. This is only possible when we are united to Christ as He is united to the Father. We become one with God, by His will, with His authority and grace. What high dignity we have received to act in His name and with His authority! Have hope in the ability to be drawn into this high calling, taking on this new identity, so that Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper becomes a reality in your life.
My divine Lord, the great I AM, You have existed from all eternity as the one and eternal God. You invite me to share in Your life by uniting me with You in Christ through His humanity. I accept this high calling and pray, as You prayed during the Last Supper, that I may be one with You—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and live and act in Your Name. Jesus, I trust in You.
You are a Gift!
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
“Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:24
You are the Father’s gift to Jesus the Son. What an amazing reality to understand! This profound truth is at the heart of today’s Gospel in which Jesus speaks of the unique and intimate relationship between the Father, the Son, and all those who believe in Him.
Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, offered to the Father at the conclusion of the Last Supper, marking His final words recorded in John’s Gospel before the beginning of His Passion. This beautiful prayer encapsulates Jesus’ entire mission and identity, expressing His deep intimacy with the Father and His longing for unity between Himself, the Father, and all those who believe in Him. Through this prayer, Jesus reveals the nature of His relationship with the Father, the unity He desires for His followers, and the eternal glory that is to come for those who are united in Him.
The line above not only expresses intimacy between the Father and the Son but also incorporates all the faithful into that intimate relationship. This was and is Jesus’ mission. His love for and union with the Father existed from all eternity. Nothing could change that perfect love. It was, is, and always will be a love so deep and strong that God, in His eternal love, chose to create us to share in that love. Though this love is completely gratuitous on God’s part, freely given and unmerited by us, it’s beautiful to hear Jesus speak of our invitation into the love He shares with the Father as the Father’s gift to the Son. We are not seen as estranged or separate but as gifts freely given and received.
In everyday language, a “present” is understood as something that is expected from another, such as on a birthday. In theological terms, a “gift” carries a richer meaning. A gift is something given freely, without expectation of return, and signifies the giver’s love and goodness. A gift, in this sense, is a manifestation of divine love and generosity. It’s not simply an exchange of material items, but a relational exchange—a movement of love between the giver and the receiver. The Father and the Son’s exchange of love is so perfect that everything they have is entirely given to the other, without reservation or expectation of anything in return. This eternal giving and receiving of love is the foundation of the divine communion between them, and it is from that love that the Holy Spirit—the expression of their shared perfect love—proceeds. As Saint Augustine teaches, “And the Holy Spirit, according to the Holy Scriptures, is neither of the Father alone, nor of the Son alone, but of both; and so intimates to us a mutual love, wherewith the Father and the Son reciprocally love one another” (On the Trinity XV.17.27).
Again, you are part of that love, making you both the Father’s gift of love to the Son and the Son’s gift of love to the Father, because Their love—the Holy Spirit—dwells within you. What a privilege that is! Understanding this loving reality reveals the dignity that each of us has when we are in a state of grace and transformed into gifts given out of love between the divine persons. This mystical and profound language is essential to ponder, especially because it permeates John’s Gospel and reveals the heart of God’s love for us.
Reflect today on how you are the Father’s gift to the Son and the Son’s gift to the Father, made possible by the gift of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Though we do nothing on our own to merit such dignity, this is the reality into which we are invited. On our part, we must cooperate with grace so that God transforms our souls into gifts of increasing glory and beauty. The more we cooperate with God’s grace, the more glorious a gift we become. Though Heaven will be an eternal existence where each saint delights in the Beatific Vision, it is important to understand that each of us will cause eternal delights in the hearts of the Most Holy Trinity. They will look upon us and see us as gifts given to each of them, resulting in an unending outpouring of divine love. The mystery is great. Reflect on it, meditate on it deeply, and rejoice that you are called to such a life.
Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—You are a perfect communion of divine Love. Your love is so great, so perfect, so strong, that You have willed to draw me into Your very life, making me a gift of Your love to each other. I thank You for this unfathomable gift and ask the Holy Spirit to dwell within me so that Your mutual self-giving may be glorious. Jesus, I trust in You.
Meeting Us Where We Are At
Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter
After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time…” John 21:15–16
Today’s resurrection appearance is the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples, as recorded in John’s Gospel. It took place while seven of the Apostles were fishing. Following a miraculous catch of fish, they recognized Jesus on the shore. After they went to Him, Jesus cooked breakfast and asked Peter three times if he loved Him.
The first time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, Jesus used the verb agapao (from the noun agape), but Peter responded with the verb phileo: “‘Simon, son of John, do you agapao Me more than these?’” Simon Peter answered Him, “‘Yes, Lord, You know that I phileo You.’” The word agapao refers to a deeper form of love—a self-sacrificial, total commitment that reflects the love of God for humanity. It involves a love that is not just affection but is marked by a willingness to sacrifice for the good of the other, the kind of love exemplified by Jesus Himself. Peter’s use of the verb phileo, on the other hand, refers to a more affectionate, friendly love, often associated with a deeper, more humanly focused bond of friendship. While sincere, it is less intense and self-sacrificial than agape love.
The second time Jesus asks the question, He again uses agapao, and Peter again responds with phileo. The third time, Jesus shifts His question to match Peter’s response, using phileo: “Simon, son of John, do you phileo Me?” Peter responds again with phileo: “Lord, You know everything; You know that I phileo You.”
This shift to phileo in the third question shows that Jesus meets Peter where he is, acknowledging Peter’s limitations and his current ability to love with a more affectionate, rather than sacrificial, love. This exchange also highlights Peter’s awareness of his weakness and his humility in acknowledging that he cannot yet love with the full depth of agape to which Jesus is calling him.
At the end of the conversation, Jesus states: “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). Jesus was not only prophesying that Peter would die as a martyr, but also that through his martyrdom, Peter’s death would glorify God, as it would be the ultimate expression of the sacrificial agape love to which Jesus had called him. This promise to Peter would have given him hope for the future, even as he faced the challenge of his calling.
Despite Peter’s weakness and inability to express agape, Jesus not only meets Peter where he is but also gives him a threefold mission of divine importance. He says, “Feed My lambs…tend My sheep…feed My sheep.” While these commands might seem similar, they differ in their emphasis. To “feed My lambs” implies Peter’s mission to care for those who are weak in faith and in need of the initial nourishment of the Word of God. To “tend My sheep” means to shepherd and guide the mature Christians. To “feed My sheep” emphasizes the need for those mature in their faith to receive nourishment through a deeper understanding of the Word of God and the gift of the Eucharist, the Bread of Life. Though Peter was imperfect, struggling with guilt and discouragement over his inability to express the depth of love Jesus was asking of him, Jesus still entrusted him with a divinely inspired mission.
Reflect today on God’s invitation to you to love Him and fulfill His mission. Though we are each imperfect and fail in many ways, Jesus continuously asks us for agape love. Though we struggle to live that depth of love, God, in His mercy, does not wait until we are perfect to send us forth to be His instruments. He wants us to nourish those with little to no faith, strengthen and encourage our brothers and sisters who are stronger in faith, and nourish them by becoming instruments of His pure love. The extent to which we embrace agape is the extent to which we will be able to fulfill that mission well. But we must start today by responding the best we can because Jesus meets us and uses us where we are, while calling us higher.
Most loving Lord, Your love for me is perfect, yet mine is imperfect. Please give me hope and draw me ever closer each day to the pure agape love to which I am called. As I grow in this love, please use me as I am to fulfill the mission You have entrusted to me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Disordered Curiosity
Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” John 21:20–22
Just before today’s Gospel, Jesus foretold Peter’s martyrdom and concluded by saying, “Follow me,” calling Peter to focus on his mission of discipleship. Upon learning of his own fate, however, Peter became curious about John’s: “Lord, what about him?” Jesus gently redirects him: “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” Jesus’ words remind us of a critical truth: We must focus on our personal call to follow Him rather than giving in to unhealthy curiosity.
Knowing and loving others as friends, listening to their joys and struggles with charity, differs from idle curiosity. True knowledge of someone builds selfless and loving relationships, giving us a share in God’s relational nature. The Father knows and loves the Son, and the Son knows and loves the Father, and from that love the Holy Spirit proceeds. In contrast, idle curiosity—“knowing about” someone for the wrong reasons—can lead to pride, judgment, or distraction.
In and of itself, the desire for knowledge is neither good nor bad; it is a natural inclination given to us by God. It becomes good when it leads to a desire to know the truth, particularly about God, Creation, and all matters that lead us to greater holiness. Saint Thomas Aquinas distinguishes between curiosity, the disordered pursuit of knowledge, and studiousness, a moral virtue that directs our natural desire for knowledge toward good and necessary ends. He describes studiousness as a form of temperance for the mind—a habit that moderates and orders our desire for knowledge so that it serves truth, virtue, and ultimately, God’s glory.
The desire for knowledge becomes disordered when it serves no good purpose, distracts us from our duties, or stems from pride, sensual desire, or an unhealthy fascination with evil. It is also disordered when worldly knowledge dominates our minds, drawing us away from God and spiritual matters. For example, our world is often flooded by shocking and sensational stories. Though there is a value in news stories, they can distract us from our mission and lead us into sin.
Adam and Eve’s fall resulted from pride and an unholy desire for knowledge they did not need, as the fruit was “desirable for gaining wisdom” (Genesis 3:6). Like Peter’s question about John, their distraction led them away from trust in God’s plan. Jesus’ gentle correction reminds Peter—and us—of what truly matters.
Reflect today on the importance of getting to know others and the danger of being overly curious to know about them. There are many things we do not need to know; it takes temperance of the mind to discipline ourselves so that we remain focused on our God-given responsibilities. Intemperance of the mind, stemming from pride, leads to gossip and judgment. Hence, we must continuously hear Jesus remind us: “What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”
All-knowing Lord, You know me through and through—my every action, thought, and desire. You know my sin and my virtue, my weaknesses and joys. Please give me a healthy desire to know You and all that is necessary for me to fulfill Your will. Please also purify my disordered curiosity so that I remain charitable to all and undistracted from my mission. Jesus, I trust in You.
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