“Do you love me?” Jesus asks St. Peter (John 21:15 – 19). But it is a question all of us must answer, said Fr. Daniele Criscione, PIME, speaking to Michigan Area members.

In his July 28 virtual presentation for the Michigan Area, Fr. Criscione noted that St. Peter – despite being first among the Apostles and chosen by Jesus to lead the Church – “gets angry, denies Jesus. This is proof of authenticity. The New Testament does not present Peter as a hero, but as a human being … Peter is us, with all our ups and downs.”

In St. John’s narrative, Jesus asks St. Peter “Do you love me?” three times, mirroring the three times St. Peter denied Jesus after His arrest. But the English word “love” does not capture the meaning of the original Greek, Fr. Criscione explained.

“There are 15 different words for ‘love’ in Greek,” he noted. “‘Phileo’ means love between brothers, close friends.”

But when Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”, He uses agape, which Fr. Criscione described as “to love to the last drop of your blood.” But St. Peter answers with phileo, indicating that he does not understand what Jesus is asking.

“To understand what Jesus is asking, look at Jesus on the cross,” Fr. Criscione said. “That is what agape looks like,what it means to love unconditionally, like the Father, like Jesus.”

But Jesus “meets Peter where he is,” Fr. Criscione observed: The third time Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” He uses phileo. “Jesus reaches Peter despite his limited understanding so Peter can learn how to love … Jesus reaches us too, even in our misery.”  

Fr. Criscione is the director of the PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) Mission Center in Farmington Hills. Born in Sicily, Fr. Criscione worked at the Catholic University of Milan before coming to Detroit.

The virtual course will continue with a session about St. Paul. The Michigan Area regularly sponsors faith formation courses for members, both virtual and in-person.

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