This was the question of our Lord Jesus to Simon Peter when he appeared to them on the third time after he was raised from the dead. Without much thought, Peter answered: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Well, at least, Peter was able to redeem himself in the eyes of Jesus after he denied knowing the Lord for three times.
Loving God is not so hard. We can say at any given time of the day that we love the Lord, and we are so sure of it. We can announce to the entire world that we love the Lord without thinking twice and without any pressure at all. However, we must also bear in mind that, when Peter answered the Lord’s questions on love, Jesus continued with a command… Feed my lambs… Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep!
The act of loving someone is not so easy. Love goes beyond the words which we utter to say that we love someone. Love is a commitment that we are ready to make and to give up something for someone all because of love. Loving is a kind of self-surrender to the one we love and the acceptance that, from that moment when we say those magical words, we are now ready to take on whatever that love entails and entices us to do. Just like what Peter did, he tended and fed the sheep that Christ entrusted to his care when he accepted the task of leading the Church as its pastor after Jesus ascended to his throne.
We are also being asked by our Lord with the same question everyday in our lives, and we all have the same answer just like Peter; “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you!” But then, how do we show this love to our Lord? Every time we give our answer to him, we do not hear him say what to do further. But he is telling us to take care of our very own life and family so we can show him how much we love him.
But look around us? Even here in our very own country, love is not present in the air. There is too much hate and anger, there is too much greed for money and power, too many lies and deception. We have a lot of people around us who may have lost their sense of pride and dignity, so they are aspiring to have a seat in politics even if they are not eligible for the post because of their lack of education and political knowledge and experience. They are better off as comedians and action stars where they really belong.
This election is another chance for us to prove our love to God and for ourselves. This is a chance for us to feed the lambs, tend the sheep, and feed the sheep that Christ has entrusted to each one of us. Those lambs and those sheep are you and me and we all belong to this one sheepfold. Our duty and our obligation as Christians are to improve our lives by choosing the best persons for their job. This is our chance to prove to God that we really love him because now we are all ready to awaken in us that sense of God and our commitment to serve him and do his will. How I really wish that candidates with a fear of God and with respect to the dignity of human life will win.
One last note, let us take a look and examine the candidates here in our province also. Well, I do not want to hurt anyone with this, but I cannot just close my eyes and say: “Bahala na si Batman!” That is a risky thing to do because our future and the future of our children are at stake here. So, to cut it short, please vote for a real candidate who can really help alleviate the sufferings of the poor and improve the quality of our lives. I know that there are a lot of lies and deceits in their campaign strategies, but we can always look back at what they have done or proven as public servants. The records of their virtuous deeds will never tell a lie, and the evil things that they may have done will always come out in the open. How I really wish that we make this election worthwhile for us all by choosing the best leaders who will steer our province to prosperity and a better quality of life for every Catandunganon.
God bless us all, God bless Catanduanes, and God bless the Philippines!