Jesus Accepts Your Broken Love (May 22, 2026)

Welcome to The Daily Catholic Deep Dive, the daily show that connects the dots between the Bible, the Catechism, and the Catholic life.

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Today’s Sources:

• Daily Bible Reading - May 22, 2026 | USCCB (Reading 1: Acts 25:13b-21; Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20ab; Gospel: John 21:15-19)

• Day 142: Whole and Joyful Hearts — The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 29, Psalm 30)

• Day 142: The New Heaven and the New Earth — The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) (Paragraphs 1042–1050)

• Jesus is Asking You this ONE Question

• May 22, 2026 - Optional Memorial of St. Rita of Cascia

• May 22, 2026 | Catholic Daily Reflections | Formed

• Why Don't We Hear About this Prayer at the Last Supper?

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Daily Catholic Deep Dive. If you are first time here, we're here to connect the dots between the Bible, the Catechism, and your daily life. Every day we go over the daily mass readings, Father Mike Schmitz's Bible in a year and Catechism in a Year, plus other popular Catholic podcasts and videos released today we find interesting. If you feel a bit overwhelmed by all the daily Catholic listening, don't worry. We are here to find that one golden thread that ties it all together. Let's dive in. Today is Friday, May 22nd, 2026. We have a usual menu of daily mass readings and Bible and Catechism in a Year from Father Mike and then specials. Today's special is Daily Reflection from Dr. Tim Gray, the president of the St. Augustine Institute, from Father Burke Masters on St. Rita of Cassia, from Father Brad Doyle from Good Catholic, and a homily from Father Chris Alar on the longest prayer of Christ on earth. So um imagine the creator of the universe just like asking for your perfect unconditional love, and you have to look him in the eye and basically say, uh, I can only give you a broken version.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Yeah, it's it's a devastating reality. And that's exactly what Peter faces in today's gospel from John chapter 21, verses 15 to 19. Right. Jesus asks him, Do you love me? And you know, Father Burke Masters and Father Brad Doyle both point out this um this really vital nuance that we completely lose in the English translation.

SPEAKER_00 1:16

Aaron Powell Because of the Greek words, right.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Exactly. So Jesus is initially asking for a gaupe, which is like that perfect self-sacrificing love. But Peter, who is just shattered by his recent betrayal, replies with Philia.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Which is more like a uh brotherly affection.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Yeah, brotherly love. He's basically saying, Lord, I I can't give you that perfect love right now. I'm just too broken.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Aaron Powell And Jesus doesn't yell at him for it.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

No, he doesn't. Instead, by the third time he asks, Jesus mercifully drops down to Philia. He meets Peter exactly where he's at. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

He accepts what Peter can manage just to start the healing process.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Right. Yeah. But and that merciful demotion from perfect agope to brotherly Philia, it's not just a New Testament thing. We see this exact same struggle thousands of years earlier.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Oh, in the Old Testament readings. Yeah. On day 142 of Bible in a year. So in 6 Olymuel chapter 24, King David makes this like colossal mistake by taking a census.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Which to us probably just sounds like paperwork.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

Right, right. But it wasn't just administrative, it was an act of pride. David was taking ownership of the people, you know, relying on his own measurable military power instead of trusting God.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

He was hoarding his own strength.

SPEAKER_00 2:24

Exactly. And it raises this question for you, the listener are you treating your spiritual life like David's census, like constantly measuring your own strength instead of surrendering?

SPEAKER_01 2:35

But David flips the script later on, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:37

He does. By 1 Chronicles chapter 29, he repents. He offers his own personal treasure to build the temple, and he does it with a quote, whole and joyful heart.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

So both Peter and David failed horribly, but they returned to God completely wholehearted.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yeah, they did.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

And that total surrender is really the absolute standard of the Christian life. I mean, we see it in today's first reading, too, from Acts chapter 25, verses 13b to 21, where Paul just boldly embraces imprisonment for Christ.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Aaron Powell And we see it with St. Rita of Cassia today, too.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Right, since it's her memorial.

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Yeah. And she endured immense family tragedy, a brutal marriage, all by surrendering her entire life to God. But um I have to push back a little here. Oh, go ahead. Like, why is total surrender the ultimate goal? Honestly, it just sounds really exhausting.

SPEAKER_01 3:24

Aaron Powell Well, Father Chris Alar explains this beautifully in his homily on Jesus' prayer in John chapter 17. The Trinity itself is this constant, eternal exchange of total self-gift.

SPEAKER_00 3:36

So the father holds absolutely nothing back from the son.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Exactly. He pours himself out completely. So when we stop hoarding our lives, like David did with the census and pour ourselves out entirely, we are adopting the very physics of how God operates.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Oh, I love that phrase. The physics of God.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Yeah, we enter that same gravitational pull, we step into the dynamic of the Trinity itself, and that wholehearted offering points directly toward our ultimate destiny.

SPEAKER_00 4:02

Which brings us to Catechism in a Year, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:04

Yes. On day 142 of Catechism in a Year, covering paragraphs 1042 to 1050, and also in Dr. Tim Gray's reflection on Psalm 103, we learn that this surrender prepares us for the beatific vision.

SPEAKER_00 4:16

That moment where we finally see God face to face.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

Unmediated. Yeah. And it's not just a spiritual escape either.

SPEAKER_00 4:22

Right. It's the physical restoration of the cosmos, the new heaven and the new earth.

SPEAKER_01 4:26

When Jesus ascends and establishes his throne, like Psalm 103 describes, he is setting the stage to redeem all of creation.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

So the central challenge for you today is this: Is your heart divided? Or are you striving to love Jesus with that unconditional agape? God is inviting you to stop measuring your life like a census.

SPEAKER_01 4:47

Stop counting what you think you own.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Exactly. And instead offer it entirely back to him.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

It really leaves you wondering: you know, if God can build his kingdom with our imperfect filial love, what could he do if we actually let him heal us enough to give him our agape?

SPEAKER_00 5:02

That's such a profound thought to end on. That's our deep dive for today. We hope this helped you see the big picture. If you enjoyed the content, please remember to subscribe to the show or support our mission in the link in the description. God bless.