**Bonus hymn at the end of the homily from our 2PM Traditional Latin Mass**

After the resurrection, Jesus met His disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There, in a quiet and intimate moment, He turned to Peter and asked a question that pierced the heart: “Do you love me?” He asked it not once, but three times—echoing the three times Peter had denied Him before the crucifixion. This repetition was not to shame Peter, but to heal him. In those three questions, Jesus was not only restoring Peter's soul but also redefining his mission.

This dialogue reveals the tender power of grace. Jesus did not condemn Peter or dwell on his betrayal. Instead, He met Peter where he was—broken, ashamed, yet longing to be made whole again. Each time Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,”Jesus responded, “Feed my sheep.”With these words, love became a calling. Jesus showed that love for Him is not proven by words alone, but by the willingness to serve, to lead, and to care for others. The beauty of this moment lies in its universal message: we all fall short. We all have moments of weakness, times when fear speaks louder than faith. Yet, Jesus meets us after the fall—not to cast us aside, but to lift us up. His question, “Do you love me?” is a personal invitation to return to love, to step into grace, and to live out our purpose.

Peter, who once crumbled under pressure, became the rock upon which the Church was built. Why? Because he answered the question honestly, humbly, and with his whole heart. In doing so, he discovered that love—real love—restores, redeems, and calls us to something greater than ourselves. This question still echoes in every soul today: “Do you love me?” It is not just a test—it is a path back home. When we say yes, we are invited into a life of meaning, one where love transforms failure into faithfulness and shame into sacred calling.

Love is the Christian answer to our pain because it is through love that God meets us in our suffering, not with avoidance or empty answers, but with presence and healing. In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we see a God who does not turn away from human pain but enters into it, bearing it with us and for us. Christian love is not passive—it moves toward the hurting, embraces the broken, and transforms wounds into hope. It is in loving and being loved that we find the strength to endure, the grace to forgive, and the promise that no pain is wasted in the hands of a loving God.