Remember

This year is special. I celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of my religious profession.
Wow, time flies, and flies fast.
Last year i celebrated my fiftieth birthday, another milestone.
Come to think of it, I could say that half of my life has passed.
How do I proceed with the rest?
To remember is to take a look at my life, see the footprints and the heart prints. And as I remember, I have nothing but gratitude.
Sure, my life isn't perfect. No life ever is.
Sure, I could have done better. But it is useless to berate myself for what-could-have-beens and what-ifs.
But as I remember, I can only be grateful, to Him who has always been present.
I am grateful to God because in the inconstancies of life, His love is the constant.
Oh my heart, never forget to recount God's marvels time and time again.
To remember is to have life.
To remember is to believe that life makes sense, that life has a meaning, that life will never end.
Gratitude is the memory of the heart.

Do you love me?

In today's Gospel, Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?"
This is more than a rhetorical question. For me, the repetition indicates seriousness and a call to go deeper, and at the same time, an effort to make oneself understood by taking the other's perspective. Jesus wanted Peter to respond in a way that goes beyond a mere yes or no; certainly, it will be a response that would impact Peter's life.
Since this took place after Jesus' resurrection, I think it emphasizes that this love should be seen as more than just an intimate you-and-I relationship with Jesus.
To love Jesus is to assume His cause, to feed His sheep.
To love Jesus is to assume His mind and His heart, that is, to be in total availability to the Father's will.