RBWords

    Today we bid farewell to the Farewell Address and jump over the events of Jesus' passion, death and resurrection and go to the post-resurrection period.  We also go to a part of the Gospel According to John that scripture scholars call the "Johannine Appendix."  As in the Gospel According to Mark, some final editor had access to another piece of tradition that he tacked on at a later stage but still during the final  composition.  One of the major pieces of evidence is the change in the Greek style of the appendix.  It is closer to the Gospel According to Luke than to the rest of the Gospel According to John.  Be that as it may, we are blessed with this appendix because it contains a version of the miraculous catch of fish and  the three-fold question to Peter, "Simon Peter, do you love me?" which many interpreters see as healing the threefold denial earlier,  It also contains the wonderful words that I quoted above, which catch my attention more and more.

     The reason those words catch my attention is simply that I am growing closer to the experience that Jesus describes.  Many of the retreats that I give to sisters take place at their "motherhouses" where their retired and infirm sisters live.  I hear their stories of how they miss their ministries as teachers, nurses, pastoral associates, etc.. and the challenges they face as elderly persons who are very dependent on the support staff of the infirmary.  Some of these sisters are my own age, 75!  The grace and gratitude of these sisters is a wonderful witness, for which I pray as well.  I pray also for all the elderly who find themselves in circumstances where the care is less than what it should be.  Our culture does not value the wisdom and experience of the elders nearly as much as oriental cultures do.  

     We have the opportunity in today's gospel scripture to consider all those whom we know who are elderly and how we feel about them and care for them.  AMEN