“Do you love Me? … Do you love Me? … Do you love Me?” In today’s Gospel Lesson we hear Jesus asking Peter this vital question three times. And three times we hear Peter answer, “yes.” We must realize, of course, that the triple emphasis is not an effort by Jesus to test His own judgment of Peter’s sincerity. Jesus knew what was going on in the depths of Peter’s soul. Rather, Peter was being asked to test his own sincerity. When Jesus asks, “Do you love Me?” we can almost hear between the lines: “Not next week, Peter, not at some future date when the Kingdom comes, not when you’ve resolved all your questions and doubts about who I really am. I am asking you, Peter, “Do you love Me now. In this present moment do you love Me unconditionally? Are you ready now to follow Me, without hesitation or reservation?”
There is a World War I story about three young, American soldiers…
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