Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Today's Mass Readings

We have come to the last day of the Easter Season, and with it to the end of both the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John, both of which we have been following throughout the Easter Season. Both of these endings gesture toward the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome. In today’s first reading Paul has arrived in Rome under house arrest. Even under supervision, he continues to teach and spread the Word. With Paul’s arrival in Rome the exhortation of Jesus to His disciples at beginning of Acts (1:8) has been fulfilled, the Gospel has been preached “to all the ends of the earth.” Yet, Paul still stands to be a “witness” (the literal meaning of the word “martyr”) to Jesus in his forthcoming death in Rome.

The event of today’s gospel occurs as part of Jesus’ resurrection appearance to the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius. This passage immediately follows yesterday’s gospel reading in which Jesus questioned Peter three times (recalling the three times Peter denied Jesus) as to whether Peter loves Him. After Peter responds in the affirmative three times, Jesus predicts Peter’s martyrdom. Peter will have the opportunity to follow Jesus closely in the grace of martyrdom. In today’s reading, then, Peter asks about “the beloved disciple,” wondering perhaps if he too will see martyrdom. Jesus tells Peter not to worry about John, “You follow me.”

What do we learn from the fact that those who follow Jesus most closely end up dying as He did at the hands of the Romans? We learn that imitation of Jesus, made possible by the grace of the Holy Spirit, may require much of us. Peter and Paul placed no restrictions on the extent to which they would follow Jesus; they became martyrs. We may not be asked to be martyrs in the strict sense (although we may be!), but we are asked to surrender our lives so that Christ may live in us. Let us today, in preparation for the feast of Pentecost, reflect upon how well we have been instruments of Christ in the world as our Baptism and Confirmation have prepared us to be. Have we placed any undue restrictions on our ability to be disciples?

- Tim Gabrielli