From the beginning of the shelter-in-place order in Connecticut, I have been holed up in my second floor apartment in New Haven. A family of four – the father is also a Divinity School student and trusted friend – occupies the first floor and I have been very lucky to share this truly unusual experience with them safely.

Recently, I’ve learned about a peculiarity the youngest son, age 3, has developed wherein he likes to change his clothes to match perfectly his activity. As someone who appreciates men’s fashion, I instantly found this habit endearing in the abstract. In practice, this boy transcends any of my modish convictions. The other day, he wore an all-red outfit for our Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie night. A third of the way through the movie, he said, “Why is this movie so long?” and stopped paying attention but did he look spiffy while doing it. Another time when I was hanging out in the backyard, he asked me to play basketball with him and when I agreed, he just vanished. 15 minutes later, he emerged from his apartment with an entirely different outfit: his special basketball outfit. We only ran around for like five minutes. This boy’s dedication to the craft of sartorial excellence is truly inspiring.

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus asks Simon Peter if he loves his teacher three times. Each time, Simon Peter answers in the affirmative but Jesus probes deeper. Jesus juxtaposes the autonomy of a young Peter who dresses himself and decides what to do by himself with an older Peter whose facilities may not be sharp enough to operate on their own. Like my downstairs neighbor who insists his R2-D2 helmet is an appropriate accessory for all outdoor activities even when riding a bike is not involved, Peter is an independent human being who exercises his freedom in very particular ways. Jesus affirms acquiescing such individualism is hard. However Jesus unequivocally demands that if Peter is to truly love, Peter must “follow” him. The love Jesus asks from his followers is not an abstract platonic ideal but one of concrete service that sacrifices the self for others. Only this selflessness and self-denial can express true love for Jesus Christ and bring glory to God.