The first part is a variant of Luke 5:1-11, while the second is John's rewriting of Matthew 16. Both of these accounts come after the other as the editor would like us to understand that the leadership of Peter must be understood within the context of the Church's mission to the whole world. In this sense, the three-fold profession of love is important: Peter will feed the sheep because he loves the Lord (or intends to love the Lord) more than the others.
1. Benedict XVI, during his inaugural sermon as Pope asked the whole Church several times to pray for him and his ministry. His papacy is an obligation owed to us insofar as it is a burden laid on him by the Lord. Do you pray for the Pope?
2. The three-fold profession of love is also the basis of any form of Christian leadership. The aspiring leader will serve the Lord by serving those whom He loves. Notice that the Lord does not ask Peter whether he loves the sheep. He asks him whether his love can exceed the love that the others have for the Lord. (The principle seems to be that the more one loves the Lord, the more one loves those whom the Lord loves and therefore one can serve them.)
To lead is to serve -- this is the Christian sense of leadership. But to serve those the Lord loves one must grow in loving the Lord. According to John, to love the Lord means: (a) to remain in His word, (b) to keep and observe his commandments, and (c) to love others as He loved them. This last is worth looking into because the Lord said: "There is no greater than this: to lay down one's life for a friend." If you are a parent, an official (of governmetn or a private enterprise), i.e., a "leader" by whatever sense: "How do you lay down your life for a friend?"
3. Love for the Lord leads to martyrdom -- the verification of that love with one's own blood. Martyrdom is the highest form of witnessing, the fitting summary for a life of service to the Lord's flock, i.e., confirming them in the faith. The CCC states:
The duty of Christians to take part in the life of the Church impels them to act as witnesses of the Gospel and of the obligations that flow from it. (2473)
Martyrdom is the supreme witness given to the truth of faith; it means bearing witness even unto death. The martyr bears witness to Christ who died and rose to whom he is united by charity. (2474).
The Church celebrates the memory of the martyrs in the liturgy. How many of these do you know?
