FRIENDS and SERVANTS of the WORD
Saturday May 27, 2023
WORD of the DAY
Peter turned and saw
the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his
chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray
you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about
him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come?
What concern is it of yours? You follow me.”
So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die.
But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him
to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?” It is this disciple
who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his
testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if
these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would
contain the books that would be written. (John 21: 20-25)
How shall I live this Word? 
“… You follow me!” Jesus repeats and renews the invitation to Peter. The last word He addresses to him is the same as the first, addressed to him a few years earlier: follow me. There is never an end to the call; there is never an end to the following. The Lord calls us continuously, every day, even through and in our tiredness, in our continuous failures. Jesus, the Risen One, is not discouraged; He continue to trust in us, in me, in you. Not only that, Jesus asks for a unique personal creative answer that only each of us can give.
To Peter’s question, Jesus answers curbing his curiosity. “… what does it matter to you? Just as each of us has our own story, so too each of us has our own way of following Jesus. No one is an exact copy of another person. Each of us is unique in following Jesus, what matters is giving everything. Being a Christian does not mean ceasing to be oneself, but learning to live one’s precious originality together with others. Jesus did not make the apostles uniform, on the contrary, He called them in their diversity, asking them to love one another. What holds us together in the Church is not that we all think alike but that we love each other from the bottom of our hearts. Love is worth more than different ideas. This is why in the Church there is room for Peter and room for John. Peter understands; he starts all over again. His life will be consumed in the proclamation of the Risen One to the ends of the world, to the point of bearing witness to Him in giving his life like the Master.
Lord, send your Spirit to help us proclaim the joy of the Risen One with creativity and personal responsibility in the environment in which we live, responding to Your call every day.
The voice of Sr. Maria Pia Giudici, Poet
“…And yet, to me, only to me, You repeat the WORD of infinite tenderness. ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love. From your mother’s womb, I knew you and called you.’ Do not be afraid! YOU, FOLLOW ME! The breeze still whispers among the beech trees. And the mountain echoes from its distant recesses: YOU, FOLLOW ME. The sun up there on the peak, rewrites this imperative of fire: “YOU FOLLOW ME”. The heart agrees and lives by it.”
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E-mail: srmterzo@gmail.com Website: www.sanbiagio.org info@sanbiagio.org Blog: livingscripture.wordpress.com Comment: Sr. Vilma Colombo, FMA
