Christmas III
John 21: 15-25
Now is proclaimed the end of the entire gospel according
to John in the 21st chapter:
After they had had
held their meal together, Jesus said to Simon Peter: “Simon, son of John, do
you love me more than the others here?
Peter answered, “Lord you know that I am your friend”. Jesus
said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
And he said to him again, a second time, “Simon, son of
John, do you love me? Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I am devoted to
you.” Jesus said to him, “Shepherd my young sheep.”
He asked him a third time, “Simon, Son of John, Are you
my friend?”
Peter was heartbroken that he could say to him the third
time, ‘Are you my friend’, and he answered, “Lord, you know all things;
therefore you know that I am devoted to you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Amen the truth I say to you,
when you were younger you girded yourself and walked wherever you wished. But
when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and Another will gird you and
lead you where you do not wish to go.”
He told him this to indicate the kind of death by which
he would bring the divine to revelation. Then he said to him, “Follow me.”
But Peter, turning, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved,
following him. He was the one who had leaned upon his breast at the supper and
had asked, “Lord, who is it who betrays you?”
When Peter now saw him, his asked, “Lord, what of this man, what is his
task?”
Jesus said to him: If is my will that he remain until my
coming, that does not affect your path. Follow me…”
From this day the story spread among the brethren that
this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he would not
die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until my coming, that does not
affect your path.”
This is the disciple who here bears witness to these
things and who has written all this. And we know that his testimony is true.
There are also many other things that Jesus did. If they were to be written
down one by one, I do not think that the world itself could contain the books
that would have to be written.
Christmas III
John 21: 15-25
There is a story* about a hermit in the rugged mountains, who spent his life praying for his
fellow human beings. Near his cave he had built a shrine to St. Nicholas, the protector
of all travelers. He kept an oil lamp burning to show travelers the way. The
track near his cave ran beside a deep chasm with strong violently gusting
winds, which could sweep a traveler off his feet and into the ravine. It was
said that it was an evil spirit who cast the people into the ravine. The hermit
kept watch, and if he heard a cry, he would run with a rope to save lives.
One spring evening, on Good Friday as the hermit entered his
cave, he heard a voice who asked to speak with him. It was the spirit of the
mountain, asking him why the hermit prevented him from casting people into the
abyss. The hermit answered that he loved human beings, as God’s youngest
creatures, despite their errors and weaknesses.
‘All that I do is in God’s name, for His love is great.’ The spirit said
he would leave the travelers in peace if the hermit could prove that God’s love
was greater than any other power. He gave the hermit three chances.
First the hermit told the story of how a shepherd, searching
for a lost sheep, had been blown off the path. His daughter had come to look
for him and tried to save him, but in the hermit’s absence both had perished.
This example of familial love did not impress the spirit. The next day he told of two soldiers, one of whom carried his wounded and abandoned friend up to the cave. The spirit was likewise not impressed with the love between friends.
That evening a robber, convinced that the hermit had money, beat him and left. When the hermit heard the familiar roar of the wind, and heard the cry, he staggered out and with his last strength threw the rope down to the robber and tied the other end to a rock, allowing the robber to escape. His soul left his body and hovered over it.
The mountain spirit came and spoke: can you see me? The soul answered , Yes now I can see you as you really are. The spirit asked, “Why did you do that? He murdered you!”
‘Love your enemies, my God has taught me,’ answered the saint.
Silence fell. Then
the mountain spirit said: ‘This is greater love than anything that I have ever
known. I shall keep my promise. Farewell.’
‘Peace be with you’, said the saint.
*"The Saint and the
Mountain Spirit" by Maja Muntz-Koundoury can be found in: The Easter Story Book
(Floris Books, Edinburgh 1991). To purchase, click here.
