"Lord, fix your gaze on me and tell me what I must do; how should I lament my mistakes, my sins; what is the courage with which I must continue on the path You have first travelled".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Reflect on the "gaze of Jesus upon us", "He always looks at us with love. He asks something of us, forgives us and send us on a mission".  This was Pope Francis  invitation at Mass this morning in Casa Santa Marta, inspired by Christ’s "three different contemplations” on  Peter.

Francis based his homily on today's Gospel, where the resurrected Jesus prepares food for his disciples and, after eating, began an intensive dialogue with Peter.  The Pope said he found three different “visions” in the Gospel, one of election, of repentance, of mission.

At the beginning of the Gospel of John, he recalled, when Andrew went to his brother Peter and tells him: "We have found the Messiah!", There is a look of enthusiasm. Jesus fixed his gaze on him and says: "You are Simon son of Jonah. You will be called Peter. " "It’s the first vision, the vision of mission." There is, therefore, the "first vision: the first announcement of a vocation and mission." "And how does Peter’s soul embrace that gaze? He is enthusiastic. The first time to go with the Lord. "

Then, when during the dramatic night of Holy Thursday, Peter denies Jesus three times, "he lost everything. He lost his love "and when the Lord ‘s gaze falls on him, he cries. "The Gospel of Luke says: 'Peter wept bitterly'. Hi enthusiasm  at following Jesus became tears, because he sinned: he denied Jesus. That look changes Peter’s heart, more than before. The first change is the change of name and also of vocation. This second look is a look that changes the heart and a change of conversion to love ".

And finally, there is the gaze of the meeting after the Resurrection. "We know that Jesus met Peter, the Gospel says so, but we do not know what they said."

Today's Gospel, continued Francis, "it is a third look: the look is the confirmation of mission, but also the look with which Jesus" asks for Peter to confirm his love. So three times the Lord asks Peter to  "proof of his love" and urges him to feed his sheep. At the third question, Peter "was distressed, almost crying." "Saddened because for the third time Christ asked him 'Do you love me?'. And he said: 'But, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.' Jesus answered, 'Feed my sheep'. This is the third look, that of mission. The first, the gaze of election, with enthusiasm to follow Jesus; the second, the look of repentance at the time sin so serious that he denied Jesus; the third is the look of Mission: 'Feed my sheep'; 'Tend my sheep', 'Feed my sheep'. "But" it does not end there. "" Jesus goes on "and Peter says:" You do all this out of love, and then what? You'll be crowned king? No ". Jesus tells Peter that he will follow the path of the Cross.

"We too should ask ourselves, what is Christ’s gaze on me? How does he look at me, Jesus? Is he calling me? Does he look at me with forgiveness? With a mission? But, on the path that He has tread, all of us are under the gaze of Jesus. He always looks at us with love. He asks something of us, forgives us and gives us a mission. Now Jesus is on the altar. Each of us think: Lord, fix your gaze on me and tell me what I must do; how should I lament my mistakes, my sins; what is the courage with which I must continue on the path You have first travelled " And today, the Pope concluded, we will do well to re-read this dialogue with the Lord and think "the gaze of Jesus is  on me".

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