Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 22, 2026
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.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
My husband and I are weeks away from our youngest child’s graduation from high school. In a few short months, we will drop him off at college and drive home to a quiet house, and life will forever be changed. As we draw closer to this time, my mind is filled with a swirl of thoughts that all seem to lead to one question: Have we done enough?
When I read this passage, my heart goes out to Peter. I wonder what was going through his mind as he stood there with Jesus. Was he still replaying his recent denial in the courtyard? Still wrestling with regret and shame? I imagine a similar question may have been running through his thoughts: Had he done enough?
But instead of condemning him, Jesus asks something very simple—Do you love me? John 3:16 is one of the most familiar verses in Scripture. So much so that I don’t even have to quote it to you, but in today’s moment with Peter, I realize Jesus embodies what follows in John 3:17. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus doesn’t shame Peter for his failure. He meets him in it, restores him, and calls him forward.
As I sit with my own fears of failure in the face of the future unknowns, I find peace that I am not condemned for my shortcomings. I am loved by a God who doesn’t ask for perfection, but for love—and who continues to guide me, even in the places where I feel unsure.
And maybe that’s enough for all of us.
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. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Nearly every stage of her life was marked by suffering and loss, but Rita never lost her faith and trust in God. Because of this faithfulness, she is the patron saint of desperate causes.
Rita was born to aged parents in 1381 in Italy. She was a pious child and wanted to devote herself to a religious life, but her parents arranged a marriage for her. She obeyed, but suffered greatly because her husband was abusive.
She bore twins, and the two boys also suffered under her husband until he was killed by a different family in an honor killing. After her two sons died of illness, Rita applied to enter a convent.
Because some of the sisters in the convent were related to the family that killed her husband, she was denied entry. She persisted in asking to join the community, however, and eventually was accepted.
As a religious, she gave all of her energies to devotional practices and prayer. From her childhood, Rita was devoted to the passion and suffering of Jesus. She received a special form of the stigmata when a wound opened on her forehead similar to what would have resulted from the crown of thorns Jesus wore. The wound caused her to be secluded, and she suffered from it for 15 years until her death. The last four years of her life were marked by illness, and she died on this date in 1457.
In modern times, her body was discovered to have remained incorrupt, and some of her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. Her bust, pictured here, stands in the offices of Campus Ministry for the University.
St. Rita, you who are the patron saint of the impossible and the advocate of desperate causes—pray for us!