Dear Friends,
I am writing this on Friday morning to appear in the bulletin on Pentecost Sunday, one of the most beautiful feast days of the Church. I just got back from celebrating Mass at the Passionist Nuns convent. There are 8 Nuns there and they are cloistered. They celebrate all their Masses with class. It was beautiful today as we prepare for Pentecost Sunday. The Gospel deeply touched me. Jesus, risen from the dead, appears to Peter. It’s breakfast time and Peter was cooking on a charcoal fire. Jesus calls him “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter answers: “Lord, you know everything.  You know I love you.” Jesus calls him by his former name, Simon, and asks three times to profess his love. Three times Peter tells Jesus of his love for Him. Then the gospel says Peter was upset that Jesus asked him three times. Commentaries on this gospel are so beautiful. They tell us that this gospel is an example of the beautiful sensitivity of Christ. The Lord knew of Peter’s love. The Lord had forgiven him. But Peter had three times denied Christ. when the servant girl recognized Peter warming himself by the charcoal fire. The servant girl says that she recognizes Peter as a friend of Christ. Peter curses and swears and denies he has anything to do with Christ. Afterwards, he must have felt terrible. Jesus comes to him now after the Resurrection and gives him the opportunity to profess his love. Peter does so with all his heart. He calls him Simon, not Rock (Peter.) There is another charcoal fire. Jesus gives him the opportunity to profess his love three times to undo his three denials. This is the beautiful sensitive love of Jesus who holds Peter in his heart. The same Jesus that holds each of us to his heart when we go to Him for his love even when we fail and are not the people He wants us to be. Always cherish that love. 

                                            Happy Pentecost,    Fr. Justin Kerber, C.P., Rector