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May 18, 2024I am very happy to have my second pastoral visit to your parish during the celebration of Pentecost. The Bishop is the successor of the apostles and is among you to confirm you in the faith and to be a humble sign of the unity of the Church.
The journey of the Church would not be possible without the gift of the Holy Spirit that Jesus sent upon the Apostles so that the whole Church is animated by the action of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Paraclete reaches us through the celebration of the sacraments and through the charisms, the spiritual gifts that animate our communities.
Therefore, I want this pastoral visit to have the shape of a great Pentecost vigil. We ask that the Lord renew in us the outpouring of his Spirit, so that we can always be united with the Lord and be witnesses to the joy of the Gospel.
The gospel leads us to a crucial moment in the relationship between Jesus and Peter, the prince of the Apostles and the ultimate sign of the unity of the entire Church. After the resurrection, Jesus meets Peter alone and begins a very intimate dialogue; Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. At the first time itself, Jesus asks him for a preferential love: ‘do you love me more than others?’, and each time Peter responds affirmatively. Certainly, Peter was surprised and even a little upset, hearing Jesus repeat the same question for the third time.
What must have been the thought of Peter at that moment? What feelings he must have had in his heart? Surely having heard the same question about his love for Jesus repeated three times, he must have thought of his three times betrayal to Jesus before his death on the cross. Peter had promised Jesus that he would never abandon him, that he would never betray him, and he was willing to even die with him. Instead, Peter betrayed him, as Jesus had predicted, three times publicly. But when the cock crew, Peter remembered the words of Jesus and he cried bitterly.
Now Jesus, after having conquered sin and death, asks Peter three times to profess his love for him. This love for Jesus is the condition for being truly a good shepherd in the footsteps of Jesus. Now we can ask ourselves: how did Peter answer yes to Jesus' question, even though he felt remorse for his sin and his betrayal?
We see from the Gospel that Jesus did not rebuke Peter for betraying him but asked him to renew his love in order to be the shepherd of his flock. We can imagine Jesus' gaze at that moment, full of tenderness and mercy towards Peter as he repeats the same question three times. You betrayed me three times, Peter, and now I ask you to repeat your yes to love, three times.
Despite his sin, Peter sincerely answered yes to Jesus' question: Lord you know everything, you know that I love you. Therefore, it is not sin that prevails but love. Love always wins and forgives our sins.
Dear faithful, this was Peter's experience: he sinned but he allowed himself to be loved and forgiven. For this reason, we too should confirm our love for Christ and his service to the Church.
If all this is true for Peter, the head of the Apostles, and for all the bishops, this is also true for you, dear faithful. Jesus also asks you this evening, at the beginning of the pastoral visit: do you love me? Are you willing to give your life for the kingdom of God? Are you willing to leave everything to follow me? Each of us, according to our own vocation, is called to respond, whether in marriage, in the consecrated life or in the ministerial priesthood, we are called to renew our decision to follow Jesus.
Dear ones, like Saint Peter, we respond to Jesus: Lord you know everything, you know I love you.
