“Feed My Sheep” — Called to Forgive, Called to Love
In this Sunday’s Gospel (John 21:1–19), we witness a tender and powerful moment between the Risen Lord and Simon Peter. Around a charcoal fire—so reminiscent of the fire near which Peter once denied Jesus three times—Jesus gives Peter a chance to undo his betrayal. Three times, He asks: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And three times, Peter replies: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” With each reply, Jesus commissions him: “Feed my lambs… tend my sheep… feed my sheep.”
This is more than a reinstatement. It is a moment of forgiveness so profound that it transforms Peter from a man of fear and failure into a courageous shepherd of the early Church. Jesus does not shame Peter. He does not even bring up the betrayal explicitly. Instead, He offers mercy, and in doing so, He calls Peter to become a minister of that same mercy.
Forgiveness, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama remind us in The Book of Joy, is one of the foundational pillars of a joyful life. “Forgiveness,” Tutu writes, “is the only way to heal ourselves and to be free from the past.” It does not mean forgetting the harm or excusing it. It means choosing mercy over resentment, love over retaliation. That is what Jesus offered Peter—and what we, too, are called to offer one another.
Forgiveness is not optional in the Christian life. It is our calling card. We who have been forgiven are called to forgive. As Pope Francis has said often, “The name of God is Mercy.” This legacy of mercy has marked his papacy in extraordinary ways—whether through the opening of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, his outreach to prisoners and refugees, or his personal witness of humility and compassion.
This week, as the College of Cardinals enters conclave on Wednesday, May 7th, we are invited to pray deeply and fervently for the election of the new pope. May the Holy Spirit guide their deliberations and raise up a shepherd who will continue the Petrine legacy of mercy and servant leadership. Just as Peter was entrusted to “feed the sheep,” so too is every Pope entrusted to embody the forgiveness and love of Christ for the world. May the one chosen echo the voice of the Good Shepherd, and may mercy remain at the heart of the Church.
Here in our own community, we are also called to be ministers of forgiveness. Whether within our families, among our friends, or in our wider society, each of us carries the capacity to extend or withhold mercy. Let us remember that to forgive is to free not only the other, but also ourselves. We are a resurrection people—called to live with Easter joy, and that joy must include the healing balm of forgiveness.
This weekend also brings special joy to our parish as many of our children receive their First Holy Communion. How beautiful it is to see them in their white dresses and suits, beaming with joy, wide-eyed with wonder at receiving Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist. It reminds us of the pure gift that the sacrament truly is—Christ’s body given for us, that we might live in communion with Him and with one another. Let us pray for these little ones, that their faith will continue to grow deep roots in the soil of our parish family, and that they may always know they are welcome at the Lord’s Table.
Next Sunday, we are preparing to celebrate Mother’s Day at all our Masses. We warmly invite you to bring your mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and all those who have been motherly figures in your lives to join us. We will have a special meditation song during Mass, as well as a small gift for every mother present. It is our way of saying thank you for the love, sacrifices, and guidance that so many mothers offer their children every day. Just as Jesus offered Peter gentle, forgiving love, we are often first taught that kind of love by our mothers. Let us honor them well.
As we journey through this Easter season, may we imitate the Risen Lord who calls us, like Peter, to love deeply, to feed His sheep, and to live as ministers of mercy in a world hungry for forgiveness.
God bless,
Fr. Brendan