Simply Follow

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Easter Feria
Eve of Pentecost

Today's Readings:
[ Acts 28:16-20, 30-31; Ps 11; Jn 21:20-25 ]

In today’s Gospel, Peter turns and asks Jesus about the beloved disciple: “Lord, what about him?”. Jesus’ response is gentle but firm: “What is that to you? Follow me!”. It is a deeply human moment. Peter, freshly restored after his denial and entrusted with caring for Christ’s flock, still looks sideways. We do the same. We compare vocations, burdens, successes, and sufferings. We wonder why God seems to lead one person down a quiet path and another through storms.

Yet Jesus recalls Peter—and us—to the only question that truly matters: Will you follow me?

In the reading from Acts, Paul is under house arrest in Rome. His circumstances are hardly ideal. Bound, watched, uncertain of his future, he could have seen his ministry as over. Instead, we are told that he welcomed all who came to him, “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance”. Chains could limit Paul’s movement, but they could not limit his faithfulness.

Franciscan spirituality often reminds us that holiness is found not in grand accomplishments but in humble fidelity. St. Francis did not ask to be anyone other than who God called him to be. He sought simply to walk in the footsteps of Christ, wherever those footsteps led. There is freedom in that simplicity. We do not need to manage everyone else’s story or understand why God works differently in another person’s life.

Finally, Psalm 11 reminds us: “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven”. God sees clearly, even when we do not. The world may feel uncertain, our path confusing, or our circumstances restrictive, but God remains steadfast.

Perhaps today Christ’s words are meant for us personally: stop looking over your shoulder, stop measuring your path against another’s, and simply faithfully follow. Your calling is enough. Christ will walk it with you.


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