Word to the Wise
Saturday, May 26, 2007 - Saturday in the Seventh Week of Easter
[Acts 28:16 -20, 30-31 and John 21:20-25]When Peter saw him [John], he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me."
Once I saw a cartoon (perhaps you've seen it) of a series of fish, each one larger than the other about to consume the fish in front. The first (the smallest) says, "Why me?" The next says, "Why him?" The third says, "Why them?" The fourth and largest, about to swallow them all, says, "Why not?" The passage quoted from today's gospel reminds me of that cartoon. Peter is ever impulsive and gives voice to a sentiment that most of us have felt and voiced at one time or another. We say to God, "Why ME?" "Why HIM/HER?" "Why US?" One wonders if God responds sometimes, "Why not?" But generally the response remains a mystery to us that we often call "the will of God." Jesus' own response in this case to Peter is basically, "Mind your own business!" The survival of one of a number often gives rise to that kind of question. And often enough the question is directed directly or indirectly to God. Why should THAT one have survived? After all, some of the others were more "deserving." Because it is so common, one might consider it to be a "normal" or "natural" question to ask. Would we say the same thing about Jesus' response? "What concern is it of yours?" Would we respond again, "Well, I was just asking........?" It may be that the lesson to be learned is that we don't need to know everything, despite how we may feel about it. There is mystery in the smallest of things and in the largest of them. Job's questioning got him nowhere (even if it did give us a beautiful book of the Bible). His fidelity won him back everything. In the end that may be our only response. Peter went his way and John went his way. Both were beloved of Christ, and so are we! AMEN
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