“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?”

Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

and he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”

The whole chapter 21, the last one in the Gospel of the Apostle John, describes the encounter of the risen Christ with the apostles. The event took place in Galilee, and it was the third time that the apostles encountered the risen Christ. There were seven of the apostles present, among them were Peter and John. Jesus spoke above all with Peter. He asked Peter three times if he loved Him. In Greek, the word “love” is expressed by terms “agape” and “philia”. Agape is selfless love, the love of God towards us and the love which He wants us to show towards Him. Philia is human love – between parents and children, or love for the nation… Love between a man and a woman is expressed in Greek by the term “eros”. Unfortunately, the Germanic and Slavonic languages have only one term “love” for all these meanings. At the present time, when the world is flooded by a wave of sexual impurity and perversion, one needs to discern true values and to call them by their proper names. The term denoting selfless and self-sacrificing love is “agape”. The contrary of love is self-love, egoism.

“Could you not watch with Me one hour (daily)? Watch and pray.” (Mt 26:40f) Jesus is calling, calling with all His heart! And still, no one has lifted up his voice so often and so many times in vain as Jesus Christ. No call has been so little understood – and this has been even by those who knew Jesus as their Saviour and Lord.

Here we come across the greatest contradiction, namely that people though calling Jesus their Lord do not follow Him. How to understand this? The way of following Jesus may be opened only with one key, with the key of pure love. There is no other key. Therefore the Lord also says that by keeping the First Commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart”, one is given the key to all righteous deeds.

The way of following our Lord and perseverance is not possible without love which can be best realized in a contemplative prayer. At least one hour (daily) with Jesus (cf. Mt 26:40).

Almost every Christian family needs spiritual rebirth which is not possible without family prayer. It is time when we can learn in practice to give our life problems to God. For the beginning, it is enough if at least two members of the family begin to pray together every evening, best from 8 to 9 p.m. – this is the so-called holy hour. At this hour, all members of the family turn off the TV, computer, the internet, and pray to God together. The beginnings are the hardest. However, if you overcome the obstacles and develop this holy habit, it will become the source of blessing and strengthen your relationship both to God and to your family. The family will begin to function properly like a healthy organism. It will be formed by the Word of God, by the wisdom of God rather than by the programme of the world which implants lies and amorality in people.

The Orthodox believers in Russia used to have a prayer corner in their houses with an icon of the Mother of God with Christ Child in her arms. This was the place where the family prayed together every evening.

At the end of the holy hour at 9 p.m., the orthodox Catholic bishops and priests give a blessing to all who prayed during that hour.

How to pray?

Jesus said: “Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray.” (Mt 26:40-41) The essence of prayer is to realize the presence of God – that Jesus sees you, hears you and loves you. First bring your sins to the light of God and call on the name of Jesus (Aramaic Yehoshua) with faith. You can repeat: “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, have mercy on me!” (Yehoshua, khuonayny) Then it is true about you: “The blood of Christ cleanses you from all sin.” (1Jn 1:7) This is perfect contrition. You will need it at the moment of your physical death, and this is what eternal life in glory with God depends on. If you refuse to repent, you will be eternally condemned! (cf. Lk 13:3)

The Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate encourages Christians to turn to God in continual prayer. He will give you the wisdom and strength in the fight against demonic forces of darkness. Through your faith He will save your nation. Therefore, set prayer guards. Let all pray daily from 8 to 9 p.m. (holy hour) throughout the year. 23 people divide the remaining 23 hours of the day among themselves – this is one prayer guard praying for one week. There are three other prayer guards which pray during the next three weeks – each guard prays for one week. This rhythm is repeated all the year round.
The changing of the guards is on Sunday evening, at 9 p.m. Make a list of 23 people who will keep prayer guards 23 hours during the day and start your prayer of faith the following Sunday. After the end of your week of prayers, you have a break for three weeks, and then you continue the fourth week. Pray so all the year round. God promises the salvation of your nation.

“Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture

might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was standing there;

and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.”

“Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was standing there;and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.”

Jesus feels physical thirst caused by the loss of blood during the scourging and crucifixion. However, He also experiences spiritual thirst. He thirsts for the accomplishment of the work of redemption and love: “God so loved the world (you) that He gave His only begotten Son…” Jesus fervently desires to finish the work of salvation. But He also thirsts in you – He thirsts for your love, He desires you to be spiritually transformed, to be in spiritual union with Him. This is the way of following and the way of the cross. It requires daily self-denial in small matters.

Reflection: Where and when did Jesus say those words? He said them when He was dying on the cross, in the last hour of His life. Who did He speak to? He spoke to the disciple standing by the cross whom Jesus loved (with divine love – agape). The disciple also loved Jesus, and so he overcame fear of death and stood by the cross. The other disciples were overcome by fear and so they did not stand by the cross.

Jesus wants us too to be disciples standing by the cross and united by love to Jesus crucified. A disciple forsakes everything for the sake of Christ, even his fear of death, because he knows that Jesus conquered death. In reward for faithfulness in the following of Christ, which is a demonstration of practical love, Jesus gives eternal life.

Jesus “saw the disciple”, “said to the disciple” and “the disciple received” the last will, or testament, of Jesus. He received the mother of Jesus. He is an example to us. Let us be Jesus’ disciples. Let us receive the mother of Jesus too.

Jesus baptizes us with fire too so that this fire will burn up all dirt of moral impurity in us. If there are some impure images in our mind, let the fire burn it up. Our eye, the inner eye, must be clear. Everything must be brought to light. We need to repent time and again. We must call a lie a lie, evil evil, just as it is. This is repentance. God will then work. Do not seek help from psychoanalysts but come to Him who is the Physician of both the body and soul – to Jesus. He heals us wholly. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And when should you come to Him? Immediately when a speck of dust – e.g. an impure image – gets into your eye: Stop! Get out! Lord, let Your fire burn it up! This is a lie!

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt 6:24)

God gives us His Word. It is the lamp for our life paths. The light of God’s Word must be the norm for us. Here it says to us that we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve God and mammon. What is mammon? We suppose it to be money but it is not just money. There are a lot of things which can become mammon. Mammon is all that we prefer to God whom we should love with all our heart. In other words, it is all that our heart clings to and we then serve it. We unite to it in our spirit, open ourselves to it and then we are no longer able to serve God.

“When Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple

whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother: “Woman, behold your son!”

Then He said to the disciple: “Behold your mother!”

And from that hour that disciple received her spiritually into himself.”

Let us serve God. Yes, we are weak, but the Apostle Paul says: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Cor 12:10) I keep falling but I must repent. Do not say: “Only when I become better, I will be a true Christian.” Let us come to God as we are, wretched and miserable. Jesus is waiting for us to give Him our weakness, our sin, because He wants to give us His forgiveness and peace. He wants to teach us through situations, through repentance, so that we may change our way of thinking.

What is love? It is no sentimentality. Love for Christ means to keep His commandments. It means to have a personal relationship with Christ, i.e. to be personally aware of the following truths: “You died for me. You love me. You suffered for me, You sweated blood in Gethsemane, You were scourged, crowned with thorns, covered with spittle and humiliated, You carried a cross, fell down, humbled among criminals and murderers as if You were one of them, like a beggar – You who worked miracles allowed to be humiliated and ridiculed for my sake. Finally, You were crucified at Calvary. I am ready, too, to suffer or even to lay down my life for Your sake.

Jesus tells us to put all our trust in God. He tells us to look at birds and lilies to see how God cares for them. We cannot make one hair white or black by our endeavour. We cannot add a single day, hour or second to our life by worrying or keeping our nose to the grindstone. When we will be dying, we will see if we were wise or unwise, but it will be too late then and we will have no more time to change it. So let us be wise today! In other words, let us rely on God, let us be mindful of eternal life. Our life is in God’s hands. Why should we worry?

“I revealed to them Your name, and I will continue to reveal it,

that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

These words are the conclusion of Jesus’ prayer for the unity of the disciples with Him as well as for unity with the Father and for the knowledge of God’s love and Christ’s presence in us.

Jesus says that He revealed to the disciples, and to no one else, the mystery of the name of God the Father, which is also the name of Jesus. The Father loves the Son from eternity. He gave Him His name, and Jesus reveals this name to those who are His. This name is Yehoshua – Lord is salvation – Jesus.