by Sr. Marcella Parrish, SSMO
Seeing John, Peter was prompted to ask Jesus,
“But Lord, what about him?”
Jesus replied
“How does that concern you?
Your business is to follow me.”
The apostles were truly human—curious, competitive, humble fishermen, testing to see if they were getting their fair share. So many of their foibles seemed to come from poor timing or poorly asked questions.
Peter had just come from the triad of questions from Jesus to see if he loved enough to be trusted with the leadership of the Church. It seems that conversation would have him worrying about his own relationship with Jesus rather than the relationship of Jesus and John. The response of Jesus was direct to Peter and is equally direct to each of us today: “Your business is to follow me.”
Following Jesus involves treating others with respect, caring for the poor, the hungry, the lame, the blind, the imprisoned, seeking just wages for all workers. If each of us makes a conscious effort the treat every other person in the manner we wish to be treated, the world would be a better place for all of humanity. Caring for creation would balance the present needs and grow a better world for future generations.
