"Feed My Sheep"

After Peter denied Jesus three times he wept bitterly. He felt such intense sorrow at having wounded our Lord in this manner. How could he have turned the other way and out of fear turned on his dearest friend? Yet Jesus, in His great mercy and compassion, knew all along that he, Peter, was destined for great things. He, in spite of his failings, had already been chosen to lead the Church, the earthly institution chosen until the end of time to pass on Christ's very self to the world.

After His resurrection, when He appeared to the apostles, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Peter, do you love me?" to which Peter answered resoundingly, "Yes, Lord, you know I love you." And Jesus said "Feed my sheep." What could this mean? Through Tradition, we have come to know that Jesus meant the priests/bishops/Pope must be the "feeders" of the flock on earth. In other words, we the sheep turn to them for our spiritual food each and every day. Through them, we are fed the words of Holy Scripture; they open the Word (Jesus) to us in the Liturgy of the Word, and they feed us with the Eucharist in the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Once again, I am reminded of the great importance that our priests hold in this world. We must lift them daily in our prayers and hold them always in our hearts. Love the priests. Pray for their holiness and that God will give them wisdom and strength.