Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 3, 2022
After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them,
he said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
He said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Loving Jesus comes with great responsibility. The more we love him, the deeper we are drawn into the responsibility of glorifying God by our life and even perhaps by our death.
Though not all of us will die a martyr’s death like Peter or the Ugandan Martyrs whom we celebrate today, we are called to recommit ourselves to our love for Jesus every day, even multiple times a day.
Jesus poses the question, “Do you love me?” three times to Peter, not because Jesus needs to know that Peter loves him. He already knows. Instead, Jesus repeatedly poses this question so that Peter can rediscover himself as someone called by love.
Jesus’ question invites us to examine where our hearts may be today. Do we love Jesus? Do we love him more than anything else? Jesus knows our heart’s capacity for love and he invites us to rediscover ourselves as someone called by love to love.
Each time we answer “yes,” to these questions, we recenter our love for Christ and recommit ourselves to him above all else. When we do, everything else falls into place. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that our hearts were made to love God above everything else.
Each new day is an invitation to recommit ourselves to God and others, which sometimes feels like martyrdom because it’s not always easy. But when we live a life committed to love, our lives can become a source of spiritual nourishment for others—just like the lives of the saints and martyrs. Jesus asks this of us because he has done this in the Eucharist.
In the Eucharist, Jesus says, “Follow me.”
Prayer
Like Peter, dear Jesus, you are calling us to let go of our protestations of loyalty, of our “I can do it” confidence. May it become inescapably clear to us that we can’t really do anything without your help, that we must serve others with the full, painful awareness of our own incapacity. The strength we will need comes only from you. Above all, help us to realize that all those we shepherd, care for, mentor, and guide are your flock, not ours.
Saint of the Day
Even though Africa was one of the earliest homes for Christianity, the interior of the continent had not been evangelized until modern times. Missionaries first entered central Africa in 1879, and started to evangelize there.
Catholic missionaries made progress engaging people in Uganda until the local ruler was replaced by a new leader, Mwanga, who was displeased with Christians because they opposed his indulgent lifestyle.
Mwanga was often drunk, and forced himself upon the young boys who served at court. One of Mwanga’s subjects, Joseph Mkasa, was in charge of the pages and led the Christian community that had started to grow in the palace. Joseph openly rebuked Mwanga for these evils and for killing Protestant missionaries in a massacre. Mwanga threatened Joseph with death, but Joseph replied, “A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die.” In November of 1885, Joseph was beheaded.
Tensions continued to rise when other Christians refused to be fearful of this display of power. Charles Lwanga had taken over care for the pages and for the small Christian community from Joseph, and did what he could to spare the boys from the king’s vice. In May, Mwanga learned that some pages were receiving instruction in the faith. He sealed the royal palace and rounded up all of the pages with Charles.
The Christians were separated from the group, and Mwanga asked them if they intended to remain Christians. “Till death!” they replied. He ordered them all to be executed—most were just boys.
The group of boys were marched to a place for their execution 37 miles away. A number were killed along the way. When they arrived, they were all wrapped in reed mats and burned to death.
In all, 22 martyrs were killed under Mwanga, and they are memorialized on this date. When missionaries returned to Uganda after Mwanga’s death some years later, they found the Christian community had grown nearly four-fold in secret, encouraged by the witness of these martyrs.
The Catholic faithful of Uganda mark this feast day with pilgrimages and major liturgical celebrations. The relics of St. Charles Lwanga rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, and his story and image are used by high school students who come to campus for a summer conference with the Notre Dame Vision program.
St. Charles Lwanga and friends, you confronted evil, died for your faith, and encouraged Christianity in Africa—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Charles Lwanga is an illustration by Julie Lonneman, who holds exclusive rights to the further distribution and publication of her art. Used with permission.