3rd Sunday of Easter - Jesus says - Feed my Sheep! Congratulations to all of our First Communicants!
3rd Sunday of Easter - Jesus says - Feed my Sheep! Congratulations to all of our First Communicants!
"Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" When Peter answered “Yes” three times, Jesus said, "Feed, tend, and feed my sheep. Our first Pope Peter was commissioned. As we read this Gospel, we are waiting for a new Pope. Let us pray for all the Cardinals waiting to start the Papal Conclave. The word conclave comes from the Latin cum clave, meaning “with a key.” The cardinals are locked inside the Sistine Chapel to avoid any interference from outside until a new pope is elected. All the communication from the outside world will be cut off. A two-thirds majority is needed to elect a pope. Voting is done secretly and can go up to four rounds a day. If no decision is made, black smoke will come, and white smoke will signal a successful election. Once the new pope chooses a papal name, the senior Cardinal will come to the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and announce, “Habemus Papam” – we have a pope. Let us wait in prayer.
When Peter met Jesus for the first time, Jesus asked Peter and his friends to lower the net for a catch. Peter replied, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command, I will lower the nets.” They caught a number of fish, and when Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus's knees and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8).
Today’s Gospel: Peter told his friends, "I am going fishing." The rest of them went with him. They spent the whole night but caught nothing. At dawn, they saw someone at the shore with fire; he asked them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." Next, they were working hard to pull the net with all the fish. John said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” Peter tucked his clothes and jumped into the water to be with Jesus. We see a different Peter.
In the Gospel of Luke (22:32-34), after the Last Supper, Peter told Jesus that he was prepared to go to prison and die with Jesus. Jesus replied that Peter will deny Jesus three times before cock crows. After the third denial, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Their eyes met. What a decisive moment. The gospels say that he wept bitterly (22:54-62).
In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes breakfast at the shore early in the morning and shares it with them. Then Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus did not ask Peter to prove his love. He just asked him to feed the Lord’s sheep. The rest of Peter’s life would be spent feeding the Lord’s sheep. That morning, the disciples caught one hundred fifty-three fish. It says it was the number of countries that existed in those days. Jesus was commissioning Peter for a great mission.
Today, Jesus asks us the same questions: “Do you love me more than these?” and sends us on a mission: “Feed my lambs.” We all answer this question differently: as priests, religious people, married couples, families, singles, young men, and women. The risen Christ is present on our altar during the Holy Mass to feed us, to share his life with us; he is present in the words of the Holy Scripture; he is there in the sacraments and he is there where two or three are gathered in his name (Matthew 18: 20). At the end of every Mass, we are commissioned and sent out. The priest will say, Go forth, the Mass is ended, Alleluia! Alleluia! And everyone responds, Thanks be to God, Alleluia! Alleluia!
First Communion story: Once, a gentleman was visiting his son. On Sunday, when he went to church, he took his little granddaughter with him. While they were in the church, the little girl was observing everything. Finally, they went to receive communion. Grandpa received communion, and she got a blessing. On the way back to the pew, she asked, “Grandpa, when am I going to get one of those?” Grandpa told her, “I will make sure you receive First Communion in a couple of years.” She kept watching the priest, and Grandpa knelt and prayed. When the priest went to the tabernacle to keep the Blessed Sacrament, she asked grandpa, “What is he doing? Is he putting it in the microwave?”
First of all, I would like to congratulate all of our First Communicants! You are excited to receive the Eucharist, the Body of Christ. Look at the Cross; it tells you how much God loves you. Look at the Easter Candle; it tells you He loves you and wants to be your life's light. Look at the Altar. Just as your parents feed you to be strong physically, God feeds you from the Altar so that you can be strong spiritually. At your Holy Communion, Jesus comes to you. He wants your communion/relationship with him to be holy. He wants your communion/relationship with everybody to be Holy.
The month of May is dedicated to Mary. The Catholic Church proclaims the great nobility of the mother of Jesus and presents her as the supreme model for all mothers. She was born into humble surroundings, she was called by God to be the mother of the Son of God. She affirmed her obedience to the call of God and lived out her vocation throughout her entire life. Mary, the mother of Jesus, our Blessed Mother, is the true model of motherhood. Let us ask her intercession for our First Communicants and families.