Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of John (21: 20-25), in which Jesus says to Simon Peter, of the disciple that he loved, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’.

Fr Paul says, we again hear in this Gospel of someone called the beloved disciple. The Gospel never identifies who this; even though it is quite clear it is the disciple Jesus loves; even though this disciple feature four times in the Gospel and is usually associated with Peter; the disciple is never named.

The first time we heard of this loved disciple was at the Last Supper; the second time was at the foot of the cross; the third time was at the empty tomb; and now, this time, when Jesus wants the beloved disciple to stay behind.

Towards the end of this Gospel, Fr Paul notes, it is this disciple who has witnessed all these things, writes them down and holds them to be true.

For our reflection today, Fr Paul says we might ponder that the beloved disciple has no name because the disciple represents every Christian Jesus loves. We, also ask ourselves, how can I be the beloved disciple in our world now?