DO YOU LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL THINGS?

Jesus has been appearing to the Apostles after his resurrection. He had told them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit and then go and preach the gospel all around the word and tell them that he has risen. Peter who is the head of the Apostles seemed to have become tired of waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit, he therefore decided to return to his fishing business, either for pleasure or for gain. 

Whatever the reason that Peter went back to fishing, we see that the decision did not go down well with Jesus, because when Jesus had called him, he had commissioned him to become a Fisher of men. With the miraculous  intervention of Jesus, Peter had a great catch of fish. Nevertheless, the question of Jesus to Peter; "do you love me?" is very central. Scholars interpret this question in different ways:

1. Seeing the great catch of fish, Jesus may have asked Peter if he loved him more than the fish and the money he would make from selling the fish. This means therefore, that Jesus was reminding Peter that he had called him to leave his lucrative business to go and preach the gospel. In other words, if you love me more than this fish, business and money, go back and preach my word. 

2. According to some other scholars, Jesus was not referring to the fish, but to the other Apostles. Since Peter was the head of the Apostles, Jesus was therefore asking him if he loved him more than the other Apostles because he was the head. For some others also, the fact that Jesus asked Peter three times and gave him an opportunity to say he loved him three times, was an opportunity in form of a second chance for him to atone for his denial of Jesus three times before his passion and death.

3. Whatever the reason Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, one thing is very central which is the fact that in each of the response of Peter, Jesus commanded him to love and feed his sheep. We can therefore ask ourselves the question today: do we love God more than our business, money and career? Do we love God more than our colleagues and those around us? If our answer is yes, Jesus calls us today to love and feed one another. Just as Jesus tells Peter today, we can only say that we love Jesus if we love and strengthen the sheep, the people of God. Scholsrs psy a great attention to the Greek word *Agapas me?*  which means *do you love me?* This type of love is a self sacrificing Love without thinking of gain and loss. That is the love of God himself.

It is this love that made Peter and the other Apostles to return home, determined to preach the gospel. When they had received the Holy Spirit, we see how they came out in the first reading to preach and even suffer persecutions in the course of their missionary works. When you love Jesus, pain and suffering are nothing, in so far as his name is made known.

May God help us to show that we love him. Amen. 

Happy Sunday and happy new month to you. Let us not forget too that it is the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary,  May devotion starts today. 

*Fr Michael Osatofoh Eninlejie, MSP.*