From The Bishop

The post-Resurrection accounts provide a powerful witness to the love and mercy of God. This is clearly seen in the reaction of our Risen Lord to His disciples. These were the people who abandoned Him at His darkest moment. They acted cowardly and allowed fear to compromise their friendship with Jesus. Peter denied knowing the Lord three times even though he had publicly stated that he would rather die than deny Him. It would seem natural then that when the Risen Lord encountered these disciples for the first time, He would offer harsh words to his “fair-weather” friends. This is not the case with Jesus. His first words to the disciples are “peace be with you”; He extends words of reconciliation rather than condemnation. In the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Easter (John 21:1-19), Jesus continues this process of reconciliation in an appearance to Peter and some of the other apostles. He helps them to come to terms with what they have done by reminding them of their first encounter with Him. The Gospel experience repeats what had happened when Jesus had called Peter to be a “fisher of men”. He would be catching people rather than fish. He then offers Peter an opportunity to publicly proclaim his love by asking him three times, “Peter, do you love me?” This was in response to the triple denial Peter had made only a few days earlier. The words and actions of Jesus make the reconciliation complete. The apostles realize that their actions have not revoked their calling or diminished their love for the Lord. Despite their actions Jesus still wanted to be their friend because He loved them. Filled with remorse, the apostles open themselves to the love and mercy of Jesus and are transformed. Each one of us is called to do the same as we respond to His call to “Follow me.”