Friday – 7^th Week of Easter

Gospel – John 21:15-19

Following a NEW path

Hand in Hand!!

Today is May 17, a memorable day for my family, a mixture of joy and sadness.  If he were still with us, it would have been Bob’s, my father-in-law, 96^th birthday.  But sadly he passed away on April 22, just 6 days after Ginger’s Mom, Shirley, on April 16.  A day full of memories and love, a time of sorrow!

And 9 years ago today, I was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Archdiocese of Chicago.  A celebration of joy and faith with our friends and family!  And a new path to follow in service and in hope!

And exactly 50 months ago today (and every day since), I shared with you my first daily Gospel reflection.  A time of pandemic and death, a time of loss and separation!

One single day packed with so many memories!  And isn’t that exactly what life is all about – moments of tears and moments of smiles, times of elation and times of sorrow, of loss and gain, of love and support?  It has certainly felt like that these past 8 months – an emotional, exhausting and faith-challenging rollercoaster!

As Jesus appears to the disciples for almost the last time before His Ascension, He asks Peter “Do you love me?”  Not once, but 3 times!  A bit of overkill??  Maybe not!  Most scripture scholars suggest that these 3 statements of faith are meant to balance out Peter’s 3 denials of Jesus on Holy Thursday night.  Still, it seems a bit odd.  If this was a conversation between a parent and a child or a teenager, you can picture the child slowly getting annoyed. I answered you once; how many times do I have to say it!  Even Peter gets a bit distressed.  But this moment shouldn’t make us annoyed; it gives us hope!  It tells us that every single time we falter, every time we act sinfully, God also gives us an opportunity to make things right.  Every time I act like there is no God, no golden rule, then God is still there providing us an opportunity to return to His grace.  At every moment in our life, God offers us a chance at reconciliation! 

Every day we are given the chance to reconcile with the Father, to reunite with Him in love and friendship.  And every day we are given so many chances to act on those words of love, to restore our relationship with God and with each other.

What resonates with me today are the last words in today’s Gospel – Follow Me!  Sometimes that road we follow is full of potholes and detours; sometimes it is smooth and calm!  Many times we don’t know where the road is leading!  Sometimes we feel we have hit a dead end and wonder – what next! 

We take so many different paths in our lives in our effort to follow the Lord and, for me, today marks a new road of faith!  With all that is going on in our family and my ministry, I am taking a much needed break and will be stepping back from my daily Gospel reflections for the summer.  It will be a time for re-energizing the spirit and tending to my family needs and responsibilities.

Please know that this is not ‘goodbye’, just ‘see you later’.  While I won’t be posting new reflections on Facebook or by email for a while, my blog     https://deaconbillfrere.blogspot.com/      will still be active and you are able to access all of my reflections from the past 4+ years! 

Thank you for your prayers and your support!  See you soon!