Friday, 12/27/13
Today, in honoring St.
John, the Beloved Disciple, we should note the passages where he is contrasted
with St. Peter. First, at the Last Supper, when John was lying against Jesus,
Peter instructed him to find out from Jesus who his betrayer would be.
They are contrasted again
in today’s Gospel as they ran together to the tomb of Jesus. John ran faster
than Peter, but then he waited to let Peter go in first.
Next we see them together
when they breakfasted with Jesus by the Lake of Tiberius. Jesus takes Peter
aside to give him charge over his sheep. Then, when Peter asked what John’s
role would be, Jesus answered, “What if I wish him to remain until I come?”
In each of those
instances John recognized Peter’s authority, while Peter recognized John’s deep
relationship with Jesus.
The lesson for us there
is that we must have respect for the authority of Church leaders, while they
must have respect for good peoples' possibly closer relationship with the Lord.
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