The addendum to the Gospel of John is extremely familiar to us. For some, it is Christ's way of redeeming Peter's denial; others may see it as a way of elevating Peter's love of Christ to a higher level. One thing is clear, whichever way we look at it, the passage is about the expression of love and the acceptance of a role.

Christ did not reject Peter. Through His love for Peter, He first gave him the chance of redeeming himself. Through the three questions, Peter's love was brought to a higher intensity and depth that he never had before. It was only when Peter submitted his totality to Christ, was he able to express his "Agape" and accept the leadership role of feeding the flock by obeying Christ's command - "Follow Me."

Those same three questions are being asked of us today. How would we respond if we were standing in the place of Peter?

If we are truly the Easter people, redeemed by the Resurrection of Christ, our response should be the same as that of Peter. At the same time, that response calls for our obedience to the Will of God and not our own, to express our love for God entails our acceptance to take up our baptismal roles.