TAIZÉ

Commented Bible Passages

 
These Bible meditations are meant as a way of seeking God in silence and prayer in the midst of our daily life. During the course of a day, take a moment to read the Bible passage with the short commentary and to reflect on the questions which follow. Afterwards, a small group of 3 to 10 people can meet to share what they have discovered and perhaps for a time of prayer.

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2008

September

John 21:15-19: Drawn into God’s Plan
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me? He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” (John 21:15-19)

A brother who is celebrating his fiftieth anniversary in the community this year wrote this meditation on the theme of faithfulness:

At the end of Saint John’s Gospel, the risen Jesus showed himself to his disciples beside the Lake of Tiberias. Everything told the disciple whom Jesus loved that it was the Lord. Peter then threw himself into the sea to reach the shore more quickly. They all came together and Jesus said to them, “Come and eat.” Then he gave them bread and fish. At the end of the meal, Peter, who bore the huge wound of having denied the Lord, testified three times to his love for the Lord and received three times his mission—to take care of the Lord’s sheep. Jesus then told Peter how he would give glory to God through his death before saying to him: Follow me!

The disciples had followed Christ faithfully during the years of his public life. Now that he was no longer visibly with them, Jesus said to them once again, “Follow me,” confirming his constant presence alongside everyone, especially those who love him.

If God opens our hearts to that presence, is it possible not to recognize it and not to let it enter into our life with trust? Joy brings us together; that joy attempts to grow through praise: “Happy those you choose and bring near to dwell in your courts” (Psalm 65).

Then our hesitations and fears do not matter any longer: “My grace is enough for you, for my power comes to full expression in weakness,” God said to Saint Paul (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Caught up in listening to Christ and following him willingly, we find ourselves drawn into God’s plan where every person is known and loved. A happy future opens up, where everything is given in this Kingdom where we want to live, where Christ is the way forward that we discern by contemplating his life on earth. The words of the psalmist apply to that life: “You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water; then you led us out to breathe again” (Psalm 66). They also apply to our life, since we can only grow in faith by passing through a succession of acts of faithfulness which are at the same time joyful moments with the Lord.

“The time has come and the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Jesus, having returned to the Father, sent the Holy Spirit into the Kingdom of the New Covenant, now at work everywhere and in everyone. He loves Creation and is waiting for us to take part in his fullness. In his day the psalmist already heard that “the whole earth will remember and return to the Lord” (Psalm 22). So what could we still be afraid of?

- What does the word “faithfulness” mean to me? What small acts of faithfulness am I called to live each day?

- Have I ever had the impression of being “led where I did not want to go”? Was I able to understand later that God was in fact the one who was leading me?

- What helps me grasp that God is present, even in my uncertainties and my fears?



Other bible meditations:

Last updated: 1 March 2024