Today’s Word:
Do you love me? …Feed my lambs …Tend my sheep …Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)
On This Date…
On June 6, 1134, the Wednesday after Pentecost Sunday, Saint Norbert died in Magdeburg, Germany at age 54. He had been ill for several months with malaria, suffering sever headaches and high fever.
He was fully conscious at the moment of death, gave his blessing to the community gathered at his bedside, uttered the name of Christ, and died peacefully. His Funeral Mass and burial took place on June 11, 1134 in Magdeburg.
On June 6, 1944, D-Day, 60,000 Allied troops invaded Normandy, France. Of them, 9,387 are buried in the nearby American cemetery.
General James M. Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers, told his troops, “When you land in Normandy, you will have only one friend, God.”
In today’s Gospel, the Risen Jesus asked Simon Peter three times at the Sea of Galilee, “Do you love me?” When Peter responded that he did, Jesus said, “Feed my lambs …Tend my sheep …Feed my sheep.”
Saint Norbert tended and fed his Norbertine community, as did those who gave their lives in Normandy, France, 70 years ago today.
– Father McLaughlin
