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The continuing celebration of Easter has us focus today on Jesus' constant reminder to "feed my lambs, feed my sheep." Peter is perplexed, and we too wonder what Jesus means by asking three times whether Peter–and we–love him. Perhaps Jesus knows Peter better that Peter knows Peter. Perhaps in sustaining the Easter celebration for fifty days, the Church knows us better than we know ourselves. We have short attention spans. We need constant reminders to stay focused. It's not that Jesus doesn't trust Peter or us; he simply understands our human nature.I recently had the occasion to observe a family enjoying a sunny day in the park. This family was intent on helping their little girl, about six years old, manage her two-wheeler without the training wheels. Her father held on to the back of the seat to help steady the bike. Her mother was a few dozen yards away instructing her to relax and to let her weight steady her. On the sidelines the girl's older brother, perhaps eight or nine, cheered her on.Every time the little girl sensed that her father might let go of the seat, the girl would turn and consequently lose her balance and begin to fall. She would see a ball come into her view from others in the park and the distraction caused her to weave and wobble. The mother continued to urge the girl to look at her and to remember what she was taught. It took a while, but the girl finally did make it over to her mother on her own.That scene has something to say about us and about this Easter season. Whether it's fear or some other preoccupation, we often lose sight of our objective as the baptized. This lengthy Easter season reminds us to stay focused on Christ, who calls us to newness of life with gentle encouragement and steadfast love. That scene offers us not only a reflection on our own faith commitment. It also provides for us a model of what a faith community needs to do for one another and to be there for all those who are unsteady or unsure of themselves. This might be evident in the child who looks to be led in the faith or in the elderly who want to be part of our lives. It could be found in the unsteady young couple beginning a new life together or in the lonely yearning for a friend. We could find that insecurity in the addicted struggling for a way out or in the immigrant seeking a new life. We can see the need for reassurance in the young searching for an identity or in minorities seeking acceptance.Would that it could be as easy as learning to ride a bike! There is no greater challenge than developing a focused life of faith in a world with so many distractions. Political turmoil, natural disasters, and nuclear terrorism are not insignificant distractions. But our challenge is to see all of this through the lens of the Easter experience. That's serious business for each one of us as Jesus makes clear in today's Gospel. And it is also serious business for every faith community Each of us needs to keep focused on the meaning of the Easter experience in our lives. What does Jesus’ thrice-offered challenge to Peter have to do with us today? Each of us has to guide one another and encourage one another to stay focused. Today each one of us is asked to hear the Lord say: "Do you love me?" And we hear him ask it again and again: "Do you love me?" "Then feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” As we are fed at the Eucharistic table, we look to find one person this week who yearns for nourishment of body or spirit, one person who needs a nurturing touch, one person who needs encouragement or support. On behalf of that person, we accept Jesus’ invitation to “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.”It’s all about staying focused.