By Mary Morrell
Columnist
‘What is love?’ Easter provides an answer
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
- John 21:15-17
In my line of work, Catholic school visitations are a rare and privileged opportunity to observe the unique relationships that have been forged in the name of Jesus, the Teacher. Every time I pass the office of my friend and co-worker, Joan, I am reminded of such a visitation to one of our high schools.
Behind her desk, Joan has a very large poster which I first viewed on the counter of the high school library. The title of the poster is, “What is Love?”
In the center of the poster is a picture of an angel surrounded by some 100 quotes interpreting love. The authors included philosophers, musicians, theologians, artists, saints and movie stars. Most of the sentiments are beautiful and insightful, some are cynical, others humorous. One in particular, by Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci, is profound: “The greater the man’s soul, the deeper he loves.”
Perhaps those words were spoken as Leonardo was meditating on Christ in preparation for painting the Last Supper. Certainly, he was aware, as we should be, that this insight speaks vividly of the Christ whose crucified body on the cross was the true definition, the reality, of love.
During the Easter season it is expected that we focus our thoughts on Christ’s suffering, his crucifixion, his death and finally his resurrection.
But there is another important Easter moment that we often forget — his question; the question that ends the Easter story in John’s Gospel.
“Do you love me?”
After his resurrection and following his appearance to the disciples in the locked room, Jesus appears once again on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. In this encounter there are seven disciples, with Peter among them. They are fishing in a boat off shore as dawn breaks, having no luck with their catch. A man on the shore calls to them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, and soon their nets are weighted down with fish. It is a familiar experience.
John is the first to recognize the Lord. As they come racing ashore, dragging their heavy nets behind them, they find breakfast cooking on an open fire. Together, Jesus and his disciples again share a meal and when they are finished Jesus asks Peter the question that He asks each of us still, “Do you love me?”
Almost without thinking, it seems, Peter answers, “Yes, Lord you know that I love you.”
But Jesus repeats the question again, a second and third time, as if giving Peter the opportunity to really think about his answer. Jesus seemed to want an answer of unconditional certainty, a response of the heart and mind, a freely made decision rather than an emotional response to the moment.
When Peter appears hurt by Jesus’ insistence on repeating the question, it is not hard to imagine Jesus’ impassioned explanation: “I have shown you what it means to love. I have forgiven you your rejection of me, your weakness, your inconstancy. I have suffered for you, died for you. I have given you my life. Will you give me yours?”
Jesus then leaves Peter, and us, with the task of love — “Follow me.”
Two small words, the fruit of which depends on how we respond when Jesus sits down next to us, looks lovingly and searchingly in our eyes and asks, “Do you love me?”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law