Fr Antonio Pineda
eter in this Sunday’s Gospel reminds me of stained glass windows. Stained glass windows get their name from the stains that colour them. Artisans add impurities such as metallic salts to the glass, which produce the rich, deep colours. These glass panes exude beauty at all times but it is only when the sunlight illuminates them that their true splendour appears.
We can imagine Peter’s discomfort when Jesus asked, “Do you love me?” not once, but three times. Peter could not have missed the link between Jesus’ threefold questioning and Peter’s threefold denial. His flaws and failures were all suddenly revealed for everyone to see. It was as if a spotlight were shining on Peter and his “impurities.” He could only reply, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you”.
But Jesus was as loving and as merciful as ever. He did not berate or even correct Peter. Instead, he immediately commands him to feed his sheep. Had denied Jesus three times but this did not disqualify him from following Jesus or serving him. Rather, they served as lessons in humility and prepared him for his mission.
We all make mistakes. We all struggle as we try to follow the Lord. Our weaknesses and sins hinder us from loving and obeying Jesus as we should. But like Peter, we can learn from our failures and humbly return to the Lord for the grace to begin again. Nothing disqualifies us from our call to be Jesus’ disciples and feed his sheep. Just as impurities in stained glass bring forth beauty when the sun shines upon it, our weaknesses can show the Lord’s grace when we come into his light. The moral of this Sunday’s Gospel is that we should not stay in the darkness counting our stains. Jesus invites us to come into the light and let it shine through us.