Ministers cannot shepherd Christ's sheep unless they dwell in His Heart. Ministers must have this personal, intimate, loving relationship with God at least once a week.
“Peter
had to be asked three times about his love of Jesus because being a practical
man he probably was focusing on the tangible, the manner, the efforts that
would have to be made to do the work of pasturing the lambs and sheep. But what
Jesus is teaching him by His repeated questioning is that lambs and sheep will
be fed, not by Peter’s concern for them nor by his service of them but by his
believing love of Christ Jesus. He had to be asked three times in order to
finally focus on what it was that would be service Kingdom-style. He is not
being commanded to love, he is being asked whether he does. To the degree that
he does, the sheep are led, the lambs are fed. The degree of Jesus’ presence to
him and his presence to Jesus is the way the sheepfold will be safe and the
sheep pastured. This illumines the passage in Ezechiel 34:11-16, about the manner
and immediacy of God’s presence in the new dispensation.
‘Thus says the Lord God: I myself will look
after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock, so I will tend my
sheep. I myself will pasture them, shepherding them rightly.’
Jesus is not relinquishing His function to
Peter and the others. He is describing the manner of His presence. Through
Peter’s love of him and others’ love of him, a flock would be gathered and
pastured.”
Neither is Jesus relinquishing His function to parents. He is describing the manner of His presence. Through the parent’s love of Him, the children will be gathered and pastured.
[Christ’s sheep can only be looked after and tended to, can only
be pastured– by Christ Himself. This He will do if those He has called to minister
with Him love Him with their whole heart, with their whole soul and with their
whole mind. Each minister in Jesus’ holy service, celibate or married, must
answer His question with, “Yes, Lord I love you. You know I love you. Help me
to love you more and more.” Only then can one help Jesus tend HIS flock.] (1)
Footnote.
(1) The Conspiracy of God. The Holy Spirit in Men. John C. Haughey, S.J. DoubleDay and Company. New York.