This Sunday we have Resurrection ethics and the first lesson is self-acceptance. Jesus sits with the disciples on the shores of the Lake Tiberias and asks Peter three times whether he loves him (John 21:1-19). Each time that Jesus asks the question it gives Peter the chance to make amends for the three fold denial he had made of Jesus before his crucifixion. Peter not only needed to be forgiven for what he had done but also needed to know that he was forgiven. For this to happen, memory (of the past) and forgiveness (for the future) need to run close together. It is remembering what has been done that then allows for forgiveness. Volf (2005) wrote that to forgive is to blame but not to punish…to name the wrongdoing but not to condemn it.

Weekly reflections on the Gospel for the coming Sunday are available on request. They will come once a week and will never be more than 200 words. If you would like to receive these emails then please email the Parish Secretary