Today is the First Friday of June, which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.
In today’s Gospel Jesus asks Peter a question that he repeats twice more. This means that he insists that the response comes from the depths of his being. It is the same question that Jesus asks me today.
The question is simple but it implies the total gift of myself. Do you love me? Prayer disposes me to hear that question, to know what it entails, to be able to answer it realistically.
The implication of the question to Peter is that he had to be involved with the flock that the Lord entrusted to him. So, do I love the Lord? The ‘yes’ depends upon on the answer to the question: “Are you involved with the people I have placed into you life? Are you aware of your relationship and duties toward them? Do you pray for them”
It is so easy for me to kid myself by separating the first question from the second. But Jesus has given me the model to assess my answer: His Sacred Heart, the symbol of an unlimited love for all. How best can I imitate that love? The Eucharist makes me a part of his Sacred Heart. So, my answer to his question is: How do I regard the Eucharist?