Today's Gospel

Would You Be Convicted?

Welcome back to Radical and Relevant. Today's reading is from the Gospel of John 21:20-25. This is the very end of John's Gospel, the very, very end of John's gospel. Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lained close to his breast at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?" And Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me." The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die until Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but if it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things and who has written these things. And we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things which Jesus did, where every one of them to be written, I suppose, that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. And so that's the end of the Gospel of John. Is there a word or phrase or an idea that Holy Spirit directs you towards today? For me, it's this phrase, Jesus is talking to Peter, and Peter's talking about John, and Jesus says, "If it's my will that John remains until I come, what is that to you?" How does that concern you? What does that mean to you? Why are you bothered with that? And then he says to Peter, "Follow me. Follow me, stay on mission." What is that to you? That doesn't know. Follow me. Stay on mission. And it's so easy to get distracted. So easy to get distracted by what other people are doing. So easy to get distracted by other people are called to. It's so easy to get distracted. Oh, this relationship between Jesus and Peter, it's beautiful, right? He says, "What's that to you?" Follow me. Are you following Jesus? Are you a disciple? Do you sit at Jesus' feet and learn, and then go out into the world and live that? And if I interviewed the people you've met in the last month. And I said to them, "Is this person a follower of Jesus?" They might say yes, they might say no, they might say I don't know. Or maybe they say yes, and we say yes. They say, "What evidence do you have of that? What evidence?" I have to wonder, could we be convicted by a jury of our peers if it was illegal to be Christian? If it was illegal–if it was illegal to be Christian, could you be convicted by a jury of your peers beyond all reasonable doubt that you're a Christian, that you are following Jesus? Have a great day. Remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.