Episode Transcript  

One

The Scene

Peter betrayed the Lord three times and then he ran away. Then Jesus died. Can you imagine the guilt Peter must have had? Plenty of us know what it’s like to lose a loved one suddenly, unexpectedly. And then all we wish is that we just had one more chance. One more opportunity to say we’re sorry. One more chance to tell that person, clearly and unequivocally, that we love them.

Peter, blessed Peter, got that chance. Jesus came back to life. And in John 21, Jesus waited on the shore while Peter swam to Him. Then He sat at a fire, and gave Peter the chance to tell Him what Peter had so desperately wanted to tell Him ever since that horrible night. Peter told Jesus that he loved Him three times to make up for the three betrayals. And Jesus responded by telling Peter to feed His sheep and His lambs.

Two

Over the Household

Jesus is the good shepherd, and His sheep are all His followers. And He sits with Peter at the campfire, He tells Peter to feed His followers.

This wasn’t the first time Jesus had told Peter about this mission. Way back in Luke, chapter 12, before the Passion, Jesus is teaching about the importance of being good and vigilant leaders. Then Peter asks if Jesus is talking just to the twelve or just to him?

As usual, Jesus doesn’t give a direct answer to that question. Instead, Jesus responds to Peter like this, “Who then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?” (Luke 12:41-42).

In other words, Jesus is letting Peter know that there’s going to be one authority whom the master puts over the whole household. There’s going to be one man whom Jesus puts over the entire community of believers and it will be that man’s job to feed them all. Who could that man be? 

Then, after the Resurrection, sitting around the fire, Jesus makes it clear. Peter is the one. He is the one who is entrusted with the task of feeding the entire flock, the entire household of servants. Peter will be the first pope. 

Three

Food at the Proper Time

Jesus specifies that the Servant put over the whole household must give food at the proper time. Now, of course, the ultimate food for the soul is the truth, the truth about Christ, the truth that is Christ. And the reason we have a pope is precisely so that he can guide the Church in truth and preserve the Church from the poison of untruth. 

But wait: isn’t the Scripture truth? Isn’t the Bible truth? And aren’t the past teachings of the Church truth? Aren’t the councils and the encyclicals and the writings of the saints truth? Isn’t our tradition the truth? Yes, definitely, it is. But it’s truth written down in the past – a long time in the past, mostly. And it’s hard to understand. 

People who think the Bible is plain and simple just don’t know the Bible. And people who think the Tradition is plain and simple just don’t know Tradition. So the Lord, in His Mercy, gave us a pope, gave us Peter and His Successors, so that in every age and in every place, the faithful can be nourished today by the truth that comes from Scripture and Tradition. 

The Pope feeds Christ’s people their food, the truth of the Gospel, in due season. He sees to it that the Church doesn’t fall into error by misunderstanding or exaggerating or ignoring any part of God’s revelation. And those who fight the head steward and the chief shepherd of the Church are fighting the structure instituted by the Lord Himself.

Four

Confirmation of His Fallenness, Confirmation of His Authority

Now notice how beautiful is the way that Jesus officially confirms Peter in his office. He tells Peter that he will be the chief shepherd in Jesus’ place by saying, “Feed my sheep, feed my lambs.” But each time, before saying that, He also reminds Peter that Peter is just like everybody else, a sinner who stands in need of forgiveness. He asks, “Do you love me?” three times, to remind Peter of the three times Peter betrayed us.

Everybody needs to remember the same thing about the Pope: he has a really important job, given to him by Christ Himself, but personally, he’s just like everyone else, a sinner in need of forgiveness. And that’s not just true of the papacy. It’s true of every one of us who has any kind of authority. It’s true of parents. It’s true of priests and bishops. It’s true of governors and presidents. It’s true of bosses and leaders of all kinds.

Before we exercise any authority, let’s remember that the authority comes from God. And that we’re just the same as the people over whom we have authority: we’re just regular sinners, in need of forgiveness. 

Five

Love of Christ and the Fulfillment of Our Office

Here’s the final thing to remember: we will only exercise our authority well to the extent that we maintain a loving relationship with the Lord. Jesus asked Peter to renew his loving commitment to Him before giving Peter his assignment. Because we will definitely fail in our positions unless we stay close to Christ.

It doesn’t matter how conscientiously we try to be good parents; it doesn’t matter how hard we work to be good managers or business leaders or teachers or whatever. The truth is that we will fail unless we stay close to Christ. We will let down the people we’re supposed to serve. We will betray the good of those over whom we have been given authority, unless we stay close to Jesus. 

Only if we can sincerely say, with Peter, “Lord, you know everything, you know I love you,” will we be able to fulfill whatever role with which God has chosen to entrust us.

Suggested Resolutions:

Choose one resolution for today to help you grow closer to God, or create your own. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

• This week, when you’re speaking about authorities, remember first and foremost that they’re also human beings capable of sin. Take a moment to redirect your frustrations, hold yourself back from tearing others down, and pray for them to receive the graces necessary to lead.

• Peter was lucky enough to be given the chance to rectify his betrayal of Jesus, but we never know what time we have left to reconcile with others. Take a moment and ask yourself: Who do I need to reconcile with?

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