Our Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection appears to his disciples for the third time, and after eating with them Jesus has the following dialogue with Simon-Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Lord, he said, you know that I love you. Jesus said: Feed my lambs. Again, Jesus said, Simon son of John, do you love me? He answered: Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus said, Take care of my sheep. The third time he said to him, Simon son of John, do you love me? Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, Do you love me? He said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you. Jesus said, Feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). In this text we see the Lord giving Peter the pastoral ministry, He was leaving to him and his successors the government of the Church, a government that would be shared collegially with the apostles and their successors, the bishops; and from them the entire hierarchical body of the Church: priests, deacons, and the different lay ministries.
This Petrine government is shared in its specific mission by each baptized person, since we all receive the triple anointing in our baptism as priests, prophets and kings; priests who, united like the branch to the vine, which is the priesthood of Christ, can offer our lives for the glory of God and the good of our brothers; prophets, who, united with the mystical body of Christ, strongly denounce what is contrary to God’s commandments, announcing that the Kingdom of Heaven is already among us, and kings because Christ grants us with his redemption the dignity of children of God.
This general or baptismal priesthood enables all of us to participate in the pastoral mission of the Church with the same conditions that our Lord imposes on Peter, that we love him and on top of that love for Christ, He will hand over to us the missions of our life, which will always be “feed my sheep”, that is, “take care of the brothers and sisters that I am going to give you as a mission”, be it a family, a lay ministry, the priestly ministry, a diocese, or the entire Church, in the case of the Pope.
The different services within the Church, the different movements and prayer groups, at whatever level, are part of this pastoral mission, which is the mission of pastoral ministry always in communion with the Holy Father, the diocese and the parishes.
Let us always be ready to follow the mission to which Jesus Christ calls us in our lives, always ready to tell Him that we love Him, every time He asks us through the Holy Spirit expressed in our neighbor.
Romero, Luis Miguel “El Ministerio Pastoral del Laicado” Catholic Faith Network 13 June 2023, https://vimeo.com/855809440