Today's gospel passage from John is one of the most beautiful and painful in Scripture. It's painful because we are with a man who has failed and not just any man - Cephas, the rock, Peter. We wince as we witness a weak man probed by the exacting light of divine love. But this passage is also beautiful because we see a man totally rehabilitated by divine love, and then given the greatest responsibility a man could ever have.

Key Takeaways:

-- The Lord is so powerful that he will make this very apostle who denied him to be the head of his flock. Peter will need to love the Lord more than the others because more is being asked of him.

-- Jesus asks Peter: do you love me? Through this dialogue, we see Jesus rehabilitate Peter through divine love, make Peter a sign of hope for other sinners, and equip Peter for his sacred mission. Jesus wants to do the same with us.

-- Nothing can rival our love for Jesus. Nothing. And if we allow our love to become divided, we lose Him. But in loving him completely, we gain everything. All loves in this world must be subordinated to the love of Jesus. All other loves in this world must find their origin and completion in the love of Jesus.