"Jesus stood on the shore."

draw it for the multitude of fishes. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved, said to Peter: It is the Lord. Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the ship (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they came to land, they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith to them: Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus saith to them: Come, and dine. And none of them who were at meat, durst ask Him: Who art Thou? knowing that it was the Lord. And Jesus cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish in like manner. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to His disciples, after He was risen from the dead."

John, it is perceived, was the first to recognize Jesus when He appeared in the dawning sunlight. This was by virtue of love's quick instinct. But none of those timid hearts dared address Him, though He had addressed them with the familiar term "children." Then, when they had grown more familiarized to His presence and when they had eaten their simple meal of bread and fish, the Saviour undertook the purpose He had in view in this apparition, that is to say, the appointment, now for the third time, of Peter to be the chief pastor of His Church.

That Apostle's heart must have quaked within him when Jesus began solemnly, "Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me?" for he might have expected

a public reproach from his Master for his three-fold denial of Him. No, it was not reproach; it was the bestowal of additional honor that the Master meant to introduce by His

question. He gave Peter three happy opportunities to openly proclaim his love, the only public atonement ever made or ever asked for his three miserable denials; and after each profession of love He charges him with the shepherd's office over His entire flock of sheep and lambs.

When, therefore, they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He said to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my lambs. He said to him again: Simon son of John, lovest thou me? He said to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my lambs. He said to him the third time: Simon son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he had said to him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, 1 say to thee: when thou wast younger, thou didst gird thyself, and didst walk where thou wouldst. But when thou shalt be old,

thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and an

other shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not. And this he said, signifying by what death he should glorify

God.

Peter proves his humility by the unboastful tone of his answers. Once he had shown contempt for his brethren: "Although all shall be scandalized in Thee, yet not I"; and afterwards he fell far below all of them except Judas. Now, not even the Lord Himself shall force him to so much as compare his loyalty with that of his brother Apostles; much less will he claim a love for Jesus greater than theirs, though the Lord plainly presumes him to possess it. Yet true love he eagerly does claim, and appeals to the Saviour Himself, who is reading his heart: "Thou knowest that I love Thee." And this is repeated thrice, the third time being most emphatic, for "Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time: Lovest thou Me? And he said to Him: Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee."

Of course the commandment to feed the lambs and the sheep of Christ means the bestowal of the office of shepherd, to lead the sheep in and out, to find them pasture, to guard them against wolves, to live

and die for them (John x.); in a word, to rule and to teach the Christian Church. Peter is given the same rights over the Christian people that the shepherd has over the sheep and lambs of the flock. In the work of teaching, of enlightening men's souls with the truth of Christ, and in that of nourishing them with all the means of grace and virtue ordained for their eternal welfare, Peter was invested with the chief office among the Apostles. The unfailing truth of Peter, the inalienable and paramount authority of Peter and of Peter's office, were thus established, forming the headship of the Church of Christ. This primacy was fitly introduced by a triple profession of love for Jesus on the part of its recipient, for it is essentially a primacy of love.

No institution of Christ is rooted deeper in His Church than the supremacy of Peter and his infallible teaching authority. Besides his appointment on this occasion as chief shepherd, he had already been made the bearer of the keys of Christ's visible kingdom, and the immovable foundation of the Church as well as its impregnable rampart against the gates of hell. He had been appointed, moreover, the confirmer of his brethren. Besides these three distinct investitures of office, all of them being in addition to the ordinary Apostolic dignity, Peter is in many ways preferred before his brethren. He is named first in St. Matthew's list of the Apostles, in St. Luke's in the Acts; he was selected first by the Master at His solemn calling of the Twelve on the lake shore; his name was changed by Jesus from Simon to that of The Rock, as Jehovah had changed the names of Abraham and of Jacob; Jesus selects Peter's boat as His pulpit; commands him to make the miraculous draught of fishes; cures his wife's mother; bids him' walk on the

water; and associates Himself with Peter in the payment of the tax. As Peter had been inspired from on high to proclaim the Apostle's faith, "Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God," so he is moved habitually to be the spokesman of his brethren: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life"; "How often shall my brother offend me and I shall forgive him?" "Lord, behold we have left all things and followed Thee"; "Rabbi, behold the fig-tree which thou didst curse, it is withered." He was the first whose feet Jesus washed; he was the first Apostle to enter the sepulchre, and the first one of them who saw the risen Saviour; the only one whose death is especially predicted by Jesus; all this though an obstinate man and thrice foresworn against his Master. And when the Master was ascended into heaven Peter is instinctively the leader, and is acknowledged so to be: he presides at the election of Matthias; after the coming of the Holy Ghost he preaches the first sermon, converting three thousand; he preaches the second sermon, converting five thousand; he works the first miracle at the gate of the Temple; he preaches a great sermon to the people in explanation of it; he is the official defender of the Church before the Sanhedrin; he punishes Ananias and Saphira; he heals the sick by his very shadow; he is released from prison by an angel; he is consulted by St. Paul during fifteen days; Peter it is who receives the revelation of the full and immediate admission of the gentiles to the Church; he raises Dorcas from the dead; he presides at the council of the Apostles at Jerusalem; he condemns

and suppresses the first heresy, that of Simon Magus.

All this is the outline of Peter's dignity as shown in Scripture. But besides teaching us by his written word, God teaches us also by His providential care of His Church. And if both the direct and the cumulative force of revealed truth as above summarized is overwhelming for Peter's office, so is the interposition of an overruling Providence. God's providence has favored Peter's successors, the Bishops of Rome, in the most striking manner. For, as all historians now admit, Peter established his bishopric in Rome, which became the arena of conflict between Christianity as represented by Peter's successors, and paganism as championed by the Roman Empire. The Bishops of Rome marshalled the Christian forces which conquered paganism; they propagated Christ's

religion to the ends of the imperial dominions; they steadied and rectified the development of Christ's doctrine; they shook off safely the contagion of decaying heathen civilization; they converted the barbarous tribes of the North, the ancestors of the modern nations, and they civilized them; the Popes saved the Scriptures, saved the faith in the Trinity, in the Incarnation, in the grace of Christ; saved Christendom from Mohammedanism. The Popes and their adherents were the entire Christian Church from Nero till Martin Luther.

Thus was Peter, and in him his successors, honored by the Saviour of the world and the Founder of the Christian Church. And when Jesus had done him