Do You Love Me?
How can we lead with love? Br. Tam Nguyen, O.P., reflects on the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Easter.
In the early morning mist at the Sea of Tiberias, John recognized the risen Lord standing on shore while others could not. What gave him this special insight? Not better eyesight or greater intellect, but the transformative power of love that had sharpened his spiritual perception beyond ordinary sight.
Love changes everything, especially how we see. Think about this: the couple driving hours to visit family doesn’t count the cost—love makes the journey worthwhile. The parent awakes all night with a sick child doesn’t resent lost sleep—love makes sacrifice meaningful. The friend listening to someone in crisis doesn’t watch the clock—love makes time precious. The weight doesn’t change, but our capacity and willingness to carry it does.
Therefore, when love for Christ deepens in our hearts, everything transforms. Prayer evolves from obligation into intimate conversation with a beloved friend. Worship becomes a celebration we eagerly anticipate rather than something interrupting our weekend. Service to others flows as an expression of gratitude rather than a duty to fulfill. Even our crosses—those unavoidable sufferings of life—take on profound meaning when carried in love’s embrace.
This is why John could recognize Jesus when others could not—his love had cultivated spiritual senses that operated beyond ordinary perception. And this is why Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Not to shame him for his three denials, but to establish the essential foundation for the mission ahead: “Feed my sheep.” Jesus knew that without love, Peter’s calling would eventually become unbearable burdens. With love, we find that what once exhausted us now energizes us.
May we develop hearts like John’s, so attuned to Christ that we recognize Him in unexpected places. And like Peter, may we hear Christ’s invitation to make love—not duty, fear, or even discipline—the foundation of our relationship with Him. For when love leads, the journey, however difficult, becomes a path of joy.
Image: Photo by Lawrence Lew, O.P., Fishing with the Risen Lord. Detail from a Window in Newcastle Cathedral, Public Domain.
