10 /04, 2016. Third Sunday of Easter

Note to our regular visitors:

After editing this section (Mass Readings and Homily Resources) for more than the three-Year Cycle, I have collected much of that material into one place on the website: biblical.ie. This should allow our visitors to download relevant material to their hard-drives, for easily access in case of not being online. Patrick Rogers

1st Reading: Acts 5:27-32, 40-41

The apostles were put on trial for preaching the Gospel

When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.”

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

When they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

2nd Reading: Book of Revelation 5:11-14

The throne of the Lamb, a vision of Christ crucified and the risen

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Gospel: John 21:1-19

The risen Jesus appears on the shore of Lake Tiberias, and confirms Peter as chief pastor

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Without Jesus, it isn’t possible

The meeting of the Risen Jesus with his disciples near the Sea of Galilee is described with a clear catechetical intention. In the story this meeting underlies the central symbolism of the catch in the middle of the lake. Its message couldn’t be more to the point for us Christians: only the presence of the Risen Jesus can make the evangelizing work of his disciples effective.

The story first describes for us the work that the disciples are doing in the middle of the night. It all starts with a decision of Simon Peter: «I’m going fishing». The other disciples join him: «We’re going with you». They are all together again, but Jesus is missing. They go out fishing, but they don’t set out listening to Jesus’ call, but following Simon Peter’s initiative. The narrator makes it clear that this work is done at night and ends up fruitless: «that night they didn’t catch anything». In the language of the evangelist, the «night» signifies the absence of Jesus who is the Light. Without the presence of the Risen Jesus, without his encouragement and his guiding word, there is no fruitful evangelization.

When morning comes, Jesus appears. From the shore he communicates with his friends by means of his Word. The disciples don’t know it’s Jesus, and they only recognize him when they obediently follow his directions and end up with a surprising catch. Such a thing can only be due to Jesus, the Prophet who one day called them to be «fishers of people». The situation in not a few parishes and Christian communities is critical. Energy drains away. The more committed Christians spread themselves out to cover all kinds of tasks: always the same ones and the same ones for everything. Do we need to double our efforts and seek progress at any price, or do we need to stop and take better care of the living presence of the Risen One in our work?

In order to spread the Good News of Jesus and work efficiently in his project, what’s most important isn’t «doing a lot of things», but taking better care of the human and Gospel-based quality of what we’re doing. What’s decisive isn’t activism but the witness of life that we Christians can radiate.

We can’t stay on the «surface of faith». These are moments of taking care of what’s essential before anything else. We fill our communities with words, texts, writing, but what’s decisive is that Jesus is listened to in our midst. We have all kinds of meetings, but what’s most important is what gathers us each Sunday to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Only in him is our evangelizing energy nourished. (J a Pagola)

The Big Catch

Fish are funny creatures. They are always so busy and yet seem so pointlessly busy. Ever on the move, they flit about, dashing and darting hither and thither, full of agitation and enthusiasm. How easily they are alarmed by every ripple, every shadow on the water! Always keyed-up, on the alert, so ready for the unexpected, and yet so easily duped. So quick to react to the first rumours of danger and yet so easily caught.

Dare I say, there is a certain “fishiness” about us, in the spiritual sense. We are among the fish Christ sent Peter out to catch. Like fish, we are immersed in a sea of troubles and distractions, easily alarmed and agitated by every ripple of excitement, every shadow of doubt that crosses our paths. We expend so much energy on what are, in the end of the day, trivialities. We can dangerously dally with temptation, and let ourselves be hooked by unhealthy lures, from cigarettes to status symbols. It is little wonder that Christ showed a marked preference for fishermen when he chose his first apostles.

Today’s story reflects the miracle of our own lives. Through his church, Christ has thrown his net over us, a net of grace. He says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind.” And like a fisherman’s net it remains unseen beneath the surface. And we are drawn into it, if we allow it to happen. Even in spite of our struggling may we be caught in God’s net “I liontaibh Dé go gcastar sinn.”

Kieran O’Mahony writes: Today’s miraculous catch of fish recalls that other big catch to which Christ compared the kingdom of heaven. We may be sharp in our estimates of the world and its ways. We might be accurate in our judgement of individuals. We may be keen critics of those whose behaviour falls short of the demands of the gospel. But we cannot limit the infinite sufficiency of God’s grace. There is no telling what size the catch will be until the net is finally drawn in at the end of time. Like today’s catch, it may well astonish even the most seasoned of fishermen. Who knows what queer fish will be caught there spluttering and gasping at the breadth of God’s mercy? The “big catch” is Christ’s answer to those prophets of gloom who would put so many outside his reach.

A lake-shore encounter

We have a graphic encounter between Jesus and his apostles after his resurrection. It is as if he wants them to recognise him, so that they will have no doubt whatever that he is risen from the dead. And it adds another miracle involving a catch of fish, followed by the human touch of Jesus preparing breakfast for the apostles. This includes the healing of any scars of guilt that Peter bore, because of denying Jesus during the Passion.

For Jesus to cook breakfast for the Apostles is a lovely lesson. They must have remembered that this was the same Jesus who carried a cross to Calvary. We know the phrase “some things never change,” and St Paul tells us that “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and always.” Although he has overcome death and now enjoys the freedom of a life beyond death, he still keeps that human touch, a down-to-earth relationship with those whom he calls his friends.

If we read carefully we notice that Peter never actually apologises, in so many words. It’s almost like the famous line “Love means never having to say you’re sorry .” While this can make sense, in another way Love means saying sorry even when you don’t have to. When the woman washed his feet with her tears Jesus said, “Many sins are forgiven her because she loves much.” St Peter could have spent the rest of his life confessing his sin, begging forgiveness, or he could simply open his heart and say aloud that he really did love Jesus. Peter was direct and uncomplicated and knew that Jesus loved him. Because of his failures and being well aware of them, he was the ideal person to lead the others. Earlier, he had recoiled at the notion of Jesus washing his feet, but once he understood the meaning of it he was totally open to this sign of loving service. Because he couldn’t afford to point a finger at others, or to condemn them for their human weaknesses, he had the compassion necessary to be a leader. To be a leader of the followers of Jesus, was to be of service to others.

Notice also that, despite all the drama of Christ’s death, the apostles had returned to work, and were getting on with life. They had moved on from that sense of withdrawal that affected them when after seeing Jesus transfigured in glory, Peter wanted simply to stay there, basking in the glory. But they had to come down off the mountain, and get on with everyday living. Still, having seen his glory, all was changed for them, and from then on they knew what was their life’s task.

A learning experience

Some people refer to Jesus’ meeting with Peter by the lakeshore, as Peter’s Conversion. Others call it his Confession. Peter’s Confession is appropriate if we understand it as a declaration of faith. It is easy to see Jesus triple question to Peter “Do you love me?” and Peter’s triple answer in the positive as Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus. What is not so easy is to see how this dialogue represents Peter’s confession of guilt. Did you ever wonder why Jesus had to ask Peter three good times if he loved him? We can see here a correspondence with Peter’s triple denial of Jesus. But that is not all. In English, when Jesus asks “Do you love me?” and Peter responds, “Yes, I love you,” it all sounds right. But in Greek we find that Peter is not exactly responding to the question Jesus is asking him.

In Greek there are several different words translated by the one English word love. C.S. Lewis wrote wittily about them in The Four Loves. There is Storgé (affection) the quiet liking you might have for a neighbour who is agreeable and with whom you occasionally share a pleasantry. There is eros, a sensual or erotic love, the kind of love that can bond a couple along with their friendship and often leads to marriage. Then there is philia, meaning friendship, the admiring companionship we feel toward people with whom we share some significant interests. Finally there is agapé, which mainly means generous and self-giving love, even when there is nothing tangible to be gained. (These are just generalised definitions and are not verified in every case for each of these terms).

Back to the gospel story. Jesus asks Peter, “Agapas me – Do you have agapé for me?” meaning “Do you love me in such a manner as to sacrifice your life for me.” Peter knows that he has not lived up to this standard of love. He knows that he disowned Jesus in order to save his life. So what does Peter answer? He answers, “Philo se . Yes, Lord, I do have philia for you,” meaning, “Yes, Lord, you know how much I deeply admire you and how devoted I am to you.” You see why it is a confession of failure? Peter is saying to Jesus, “Yes, I love and admire you, but no, I have not been able to love you with a self-sacrificing love as you demand.” So Jesus asks him a second time whether he has agape for him and Peter again replies that he has philia for him. Finally, unwilling to embarrass him further, Jesus then asks him “Do you have philia for me?” And Peter answers “Yes, I have philia for you.” Jesus accepts Peter the way he is; even his friendship (philia) is good enough. Fullness of agapé can come later.

The Peter we see here is not the boastful man who thought he was better than the other disciples but a wiser, humbler heart that would not claim more than he can deliver. Peter’s confession is like that of the father of the possessed boy who said to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” What Peter is saying is “I love you, Lord; help my lack of love.”

In our worship services we often sing hymns that profess our love for Jesus, such as Oh, the Love of the Lord Is the Essence . Peter challenges us today to realise that hymns like these only tell half of the story. The other half is that there is a part of us that does not love, that denies the Lord when our life or our well-being is at stake. Peter’s example invites us to bring this negative experience to God for healing. So today, let us join Peter in his confession: “I love you, Lord; help my lack of love.”