In the Davidic Kingdom of the Old Covenant, of course there was the king that was the ultimate authority and in charge of the Kingdom. However, the king would assign an “Al Habayit” (אשר על הבית), which is the Hebrew phrase for "over the house" or "the one over the house".
This role was essentially a prime minister for the Kingdom. The prime minister handled the day-to-day affairs for the king and essentially ruled the Kingdom whenever the king was unavailable.
Jesus named Simon Peter to be the Al Habayit of the Messianic Kingdom of the New Covenant. He did this when Jesus gave Simon the keys to heaven and gave Simon the title of Peter, which of course means rock (Matt 16:16-20).
The events we heard today happened after Simon Peter had denied Jesus three times near a charcoal fire on an early morning after a long night…that fateful Passover night.
Further, this likely take place in the very same location where, on another early morning after a long night, Jesus first called Simon to follow Him after Simon had confessed that he was a sinful man. This would have been when Jesus first met Simon at the very beginning of His earthly ministry.
Now, Jesus once again invites Simon Peter to a charcoal fire on an early morning after a long night (once again faced with his own sinfulness) to reaffirm his love for Jesus. In sacramental poeticism, each painful denial reversed and healed with an affirmation of love.
Each affirmation of love by Simon Peter is then answered with a confirmation of his ordination into a partaking of the consecration and mission of Christ (Lumen Gentium, 28)...a confirmation of his title Peter. Each affirmation of love is a reminder to Simon Peter of his role as Al Habayit in that he is to tend to and feed the sheep until Jesus comes back at His second coming. At the end of the dialogue Jesus simply repeats his original invitation to follow Him, which He offered when He first met Simon at the beginning of His ministry.
In the shepherding world, there is a saying, “one sheep starts, the others follow”. This describes the natural tendency of sheep to flock together and to follow the one sheep the flock considers its leader. This works out well for the shepherd as he can focus on the leading sheep knowing the rest of the flock will follow.
Scripturally, we see this in a pattern played out in the story of “The Appearance to the Seven Disciples”, which our reading today is part of.
In this story, Jesus calls out to the Church (represented by the boat…the Barque of Saint Peter, which many of you have heard me discuss in previous homilies). Peter responds by jumping toward the Lord, and then the rest of the Church follows.
Sacramentally, the same is true for the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart today. We currently await the second coming of our Lord and Savior, but He has left us the paraclete to lead the Al Habayit to all Truth (the Truth who of course is Jesus Christ). For us, it is simple. Just as the rest of the flock follows the lead sheep whenever the shepherd calls, we simply need to follow the Al Habayit (the Pope) in order to follow the King. Always trusting in the promises of Christ!
As we progress through the month of the Sacred Heart, it is a good opportunity for us to reflect on our own love for Jesus. It is a good opportunity for us to have our own charcoal fire moment with our Blessed Lord. Sit with Him in adoration and allow yourself to hear Him ask you, “Do you love me?” For each burden that you carry, allow the Lord to ask you, “Do you love me?” How do you respond? Can you allow Jesus to take the burden from you, just as He did for Simon Peter? How does your love for Jesus show in how you live your life? How does your love for Jesus show in how you use your gifts to serve the Lord and His Church? How does your love for Jesus show in how you follow His commandments? How does your love for Jesus show in how you follow the teachings of His Holy Catholic Church and the bishops He ordained to lead us?
Through the sacramental life of the Church, following the successor of Saint Peter, we can truly find, receive, and follow the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
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