From Weakness To Vocation

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Easter Feria

Today's Readings:
[ Acts 25:13-21; Ps 103:1-2, 19-22; Jn 21:15-19 ] 

In today’s Gospel, the risen Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”. It is a painful exchange, not because Jesus wishes to shame Peter, but because love often heals us by leading us through the wound. Peter had denied Christ three times; now, three times, he is invited to speak love where fear had once spoken denial. Grace does not erase failure by pretending it never happened. Rather, Christ redeems it, transforming weakness into vocation.

This gentle but searching moment pairs beautifully with the psalmist’s cry: “Bless the Lord, O my soul”. The Lord’s kingdom extends over all, even over our faltering hearts. Peter is not restored because he suddenly becomes flawless, but because Jesus sees in him something deeper than failure: a beloved disciple capable of loving again.

From a Franciscan perspective, this passage reminds us that discipleship begins not in power or perfection but in relationship. St. Francis of Assisi understood that love of Christ naturally overflows into care for others. Jesus does not say, “Peter, prove yourself worthy.” He says, “Feed my lambs.” Love for God becomes service to neighbour. The sheep matter because they belong to Christ.

Meanwhile, in Acts, Paul stands before political authorities who seem unsure what to do with him. Much of the confusion centres on “a certain Jesus, who had died, but whom Paul asserted to be alive”. That phrase hits the heart of Christian witness. The world may not always understand faith, but Christians continue to bear witness to the living Christ—not merely as an idea, but as One encountered in love.

Perhaps the question Jesus asks Peter is also meant for us: “Do you love me?” Not, “Are you perfect?” Not, “Have you never failed?” Simply "Do you love me?" If our answer is yes—even trembling, imperfect, uncertain—then Christ places before us the same invitation to care for one another, follow me, and trust that grace is still at work in your unfinished heart.

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