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John 21:17 "He said to him a third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the 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.'"

 

With people we love, we can sometimes assume they know how much we love them, and stop doing the things that show them our love. Sometimes we even stop telling them we love them, leaving them to ask us "Do you love me?" This question can grieve us, either because, like Peter, we are saddened that the person doesn't know that we love them, or because it makes us realize that we have become lax in showing our love.

 

I think we should ask ourselves frequently whether we show our love for Jesus. He knows if we love Him, because He knows everything, as Peter points out, but He wants us to show our love for Him to the world and to Him. Not showing our love can cause it to become cold, as we grow lax in our signs of love, the love itself tends to weaken, and the beloved slips to the back of our priorities.

 

Jesus was talking to Peter here, but also to the Church. We are all to help feed His sheep by bringing His love, and our love for Him, into the world with outward signs and unabashed words. It also doesn't hurt to frequently tell Jesus we love Him. These expressions of love create a connection through which we receive more and more of His love as we give ours to Him and to others.