5/4/2025 - 3rd Sunday of Easter

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Jesus does not simply use the name He, Himself, had given to Peter, but includes the unredeemed one, Simon. Is He letting Simon slide back to his pre-believing status? I do not think so. He seems to me instead to be giving Simon freedom to choose again his basic stance in life, to reaffirm himself as Peter, the Rock. Not a word is mentioned about the denials, but they form the substance of this scene. Imagine to yourself this fire-side encounter. Jesus, who had risen from the dead makes this event memorable in every way, almost like a story that is chiseled deep into the mind of Simon Peter. It would be natural to have a fire with driftwood gathered from the shore. But that was not the case. John the evangelist has carefully chosen the words that it was a ‘charcoal fire’! We are made aware of another ‘charcoal fire’ in John 18:16-27, when on that fateful night of Christ’s betrayal, it was around a charcoal fire Peter denied even knowing the Man in the judgment seat. Peter stands before an ‘anthrakia’, (Greek) a fire of coals in Caiaphas’s courtyard . As if it paralleled the denial, John details that it was cold (he was there with Peter), associating the temperature of the air with the condition of Peter's heart.

Jesus recreated the setting of that night in Peter’s past, not to bring up his faults, but to enable him to move past his failure by recognizing his responsibility. The present charcoal fire at the same place as his first calling, coupled with a miracle of huge catch of fish, is an opportunity for Simon to become Peter the Rock with an emphatic declaration of love.  Jesus handed over to him the whole post-Resurrection church that will be tested in the crucible of suffering, and his job  will be to take care of the beloved ones of God. 

The dialogue between Jesus and Peter is rich in meaning. The first two times Jesus asks, “Do you love Me?” He uses the Greek word agapao, signifying a self-sacrificing, unconditional love. Peter responds with phileo, (familial love) expressing a deep friendship and affection-perhaps aware of his own limitations after his recent failures. On the third occasion, Jesus meets Peter where he is, using phileo Himself. This progression reveals that Jesus calls each soul not to a theoretical or distant love, but to a real, personal relationship that grows through honesty and humility.

This conversation and restoration of love is not a private sentiment, but a call to serve others. Peter’s journey to full commitment is not complete until he accepts this mission. In the Catholic tradition, this passage is often seen as the moment Peter is restored and entrusted with the pastoral care of the Church, symbolizing that true love for Christ always overflows into service and self-giving.

Peter’s story is our story. We, too, have moments of weakness and denial. Yet Christ’s question echoes through the ages: “Do you love Me?” It is not a demand for perfection, but an invitation to deeper intimacy and trust. To answer “yes” is to accept not only forgiveness but also the mission to love and serve as Christ did. This journey, though marked by struggle, leads to the fullness of joy found only in total commitment to the person of Jesus.

As Catholics, we are invited to renew our love for Christ daily-especially through the Eucharist, where we encounter His True Presence and are strengthened for the mission ahead. Like Peter, may we allow Christ’s merciful gaze to heal our hearts, empower our witness, and draw us ever closer to the fullness of love and commitment He desires for each soul. Fr Tom Kunnel, C.O.