November 10, 2024

Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” – John 21:15

I write this article on Monday, well before the events of Tuesday evening unfold, whatever those events will be. The election is almost here, but by the time you read this, it will be concluded. By then, one way or another, we will ask ourselves, and one another, what’s next? That question, what’s next, has a curious way of reminding me of graduation season. It’s a question often heard around graduation ceremonies and parties, what’s next for you? Where will you go from here? What’s next? These questions seem to kick off an endless cycle of asking oneself what’s next for the rest of our lives. Always looking for the next thing, always wondering what’s around the next corner. We can, and often do, I fear, get ourselves stuck in the never-ending cycle of asking about what’s next. We live in an anxious world with the fear of the unknown, and perhaps the feeling that we should be, but are not, prepared leaves us doubly anxious. This question circles around us time and again drawing attention to the fact that we really do not know what is going to happen next. It is in that storm of uncertainty that Jesus steps into our lives. 

In the scene where Jesus sits on the shore of the lake waiting for Peter and the other disciples to realize that it is Him patiently waiting for them, it is there that He becomes the next thing. The Son of God is the unexpected twist that sends the disciples off in a new direction, one that they could not have anticipated. There has been a lot said about why Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. Instead of specifically looking at why the question is asked three times, I would rather focus here on the fact that the question becomes repetitive, to the point that Peter responds with “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” There is a touch of exasperation in the voice of Peter, the unsettling realization that Jesus apparently needed to ask him over and over the same question. This question, do you love me, is the unexpected antidote, I believe, to the anxiety that is produced from the repetition of the question what’s next. 

The world asks us what’s next, the world seeks to get us caught up in the endless cycle of unknown events that have yet to take place, and the world wants us to lose focus on the one question that really matters. For someone else to ask us over and over again if we love them may not be a healthy relationship, but when it is Jesus asking the question He is bringing our attention back to Him, the only one who can make sense out of the madness that we so frequently encounter. There are two kinds of questions that we can have running through our heads, and sitting in our hearts, during this life of uncertainty. One question makes us more aware of the uncertainty and the other makes us more aware of His presence, His love. So I ask you, dear sisters and brothers, which question do you listen to? Do you love Him? 

Two Parishes, One Heart

Fr. Adam