May 4, 2025
Third Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 48
Reading 1
When the captain and the court officers had brought the
apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
"We gave you strict orders, did we not,
to stop teaching in that name?
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man's blood upon us."
But Peter and the apostles said in reply,
"We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."
The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles
to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have
rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Reading 2
I, John, looked and heard the voices of many angels
who surrounded the throne
and the living creatures and the elders.
They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice:
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,
honor and glory and blessing."
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and in the sea,
everything in the universe, cry out:
"To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever."
The four living creatures answered, "Amen, "
and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ is risen, creator of all;
he has shown pity on all people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples
at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We also will come with you."
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord."
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast."
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?"
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being 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?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep."
Jesus said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a 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.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go."
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."
or
At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at the
Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, ""I am going fishing.""
They said to him, ""We also will come with you.""
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, ""Children, have you caught anything to
eat?""
They answered him, ""No.""
So he said to them, ""Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.""
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ""It is the
Lord.""
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, ""Bring some of the fish you just
caught.""
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, ""Come, have breakfast.""
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, ""Who are
you?""
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050425.cfm
Commentary on Acts
5:27-32,40-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19
We continue to look at the experience the disciples had of
the Risen Jesus. Today’s readings speak of the meaning of discipleship both in
our internal attitudes and in our relating with other people. The Gospel and,
to some extent, the Second Reading speak of recognising the presence of God and
of Jesus in our daily life while the Second Reading also calls us to witness to
our faith with consistency and courage. One flows from the other. To be a
genuine disciple of Jesus, it is not enough just to be ‘holy’ and to be good,
but to have the courage, when the call comes, to do difficult things and
perhaps even to suffer. In sharing the suffering of Jesus we also share in his
glory.
Back to old ways?
Let us first look at the Gospel, in which the Risen Jesus reveals
himself to his disciples. Jesus, some days previously, had died on the Cross.
His followers, including Peter, who had made such great protestations of
loyalty, had fled. As far as they were concerned, it was all over and they
themselves were in danger. Today’s Gospel implies that they had left Jerusalem
and gone all the way back to their native Galilee to resume their former way of
life as fishermen. The previous three years had been an interesting and even
exciting interlude in their lives, but now they were back to what they had
always been doing.
It is early morning. They are all tired and disappointed.
After a whole night’s fishing, they had caught absolutely nothing. They had
forgotten the words of Jesus, who said:
…apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
Suddenly, a stranger on the shore, perhaps a shadowy outline
in the morning’s half-light, begins a dialogue with them:
Children, you have no fish, have you?
Reluctantly the fishermen (and you know what fishermen are
like!) admit they have caught nothing. They are then told:
Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will
find some.
They did so and they were overwhelmed. There were so many
fish that they simply could not be taken into the boat.
The moment of insight
It is at that moment that the disciple whom Jesus loves, reading the
meaning of what has just happened, cries out:
It is the Lord!
He says this, not because he has suddenly recognised the
face of the stranger on the shore, but because he has recognised the hand of
God and of Jesus in what has just taken place. (It is the same disciple who,
after looking into the empty tomb on Easter morning, “saw and believed”. The
arrangement of the burial cloths told him something that Peter did not
recognise.)
Traditionally, the “disciple whom Jesus loves” is identified
with John. But in this Easter context, it can be understood especially to refer
to anyone who has a close relationship with Jesus. In the symbolism of the Gospels,
the boat and those in it represent the Church, the community in Christ. And it
is this ‘beloved disciple’, who is particularly close to Jesus, who can
recognise his presence.
Peter and the others now also realise that Jesus is present.
And, totally in character, the impetuous Peter jumps into the shallow water to
go to Jesus. But not before putting on some clothes, for he was naked. Under
the circumstances, this would have been quite normal, and perhaps none of the
others were wearing clothes either. But in Peter’s situation, it had a
different meaning. Nakedness implies innocence, but Peter is not innocent. He
still has the shadow of his denial hanging over him. Like our first parents in
the garden, he is covered with shameful guilt in the presence of his Lord. It
is not until after they go ashore that he will be fully reconciled with the
Jesus he betrayed. Meanwhile, the other disciples are left to bring in the boat
and the catch.
Sharing bread with the Lord
When they come ashore they find the stranger-Lord is preparing a meal
for them of bread and roasted fish. He tells them:
Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.
The fish “you” have caught? Yes, they had pulled them in,
but without the Lord they would never have found them, because again:
…apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
There are all the elements of a Eucharist here. They are in
the presence of Jesus, the Word of God, and listening to him say “Come and have
breakfast,” not unlike what he had said to them at his Last Supper with them:
…take, eat; this is my body… (Matt 26:26)
They and he are sharing what they have and eating in unity
and community. This is such a simple scene, but it is a beautiful picture of
the Church.
Who is he?
At the same time, there is what may seem a strange comment:
Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are
you?” because they knew it was the Lord.
This is something they have to learn. The Risen Jesus does
not look as he used to look. He now takes on many forms, but with faith, they
are sure it is he.
Jesus from now on has many faces—my friend’s, my enemy’s, my
rich neighbour’s, my poor neighbour’s. He is especially to be found and
recognised in the poor, the exploited, the disabled, the weak, the uneducated,
the stranger and the foreigner. Jesus has a Jewish face, a Chinese face, an
Indian face, a Filipino face, a Nigerian face, an Arab face and an American
face—indeed, a face of people from every race, ethnicity, and culture all over
the world.
Hymn to the Creator
Like the disciples, too, we must come to recognise him, not just at
privileged moments of high spiritual experiences, but in the most mundane
moments of our daily work. In doing so we are simply being one with all
creation, which by its very existence is a hymn to the Creator, as expressed in
today’s Second Reading:
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!”
As the ‘beloved disciple’ was the first to recognise the
Lord in the shadowy stranger, so we too will have Jesus pointed out to us in
our own lives. As well, it is our responsibility to help others recognise the
presence of our Lord Jesus at work in their daily experiences. It can have such
a liberating effect on people, and it is a real form of evangelisation that
anyone can do.
Being Christ for others
There is, however, a further step demanded of us. It is not enough for
us, in our own lives, to be aware of God’s presence among us. That realisation
calls for a response on our part to make that presence a felt reality, a
genuine experience for those around us as well. The disciples could not simply
stay in the upper room relishing the joy of knowing that Jesus, their Lord and
friend, was risen. Their encounter on the lakeside made them realise that they
could no longer go back to their boats and live for themselves.
Making up
And so, after the meal with Jesus, we have the touching scene between
him and Peter. Within one dialogue it combines two things. On the one hand,
there is the reconciliation between Jesus and Peter. Despite all his posturings
during the Last Supper about his being more faithful than all the others, it
was Peter and Peter alone who denied with an oath three times that he had
anything to do with Jesus. Now, in the gentlest of ways, the Risen Lord asks
him:
Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?
Peter has learnt his lesson—the bravado is gone. He does not
dare to compare himself with his fellow-disciples. Now he only speaks for
himself:
Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.
Three times he is asked the same question, just as three
times he had denied. It hurts him, and finally he says:
Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.
A special moment
And of course, it was true. It was always true, even when out of fear
for his own safety, he denied Jesus. He had wept bitterly at that time,
realising how he had betrayed his best friend. Some sins are a total rejection
of God and mean a definitive turning away. Perhaps Judas was like that. But
most of our sins are moments of weakness and do not represent a real turning
away. Our going to confession is proof enough of that.
However, the dialogue is more than a moment of
reconciliation. It is also the passing of the baton. Jesus now hands over to
Peter and to his companions the mission he himself had been given by the
Father: “Feed my sheep.” This is the responsibility of the Church and, as
members of that Church, a responsibility that rests in varying degrees on every
one of us. It is not just bishops, priests or religious who have this
responsibility. It is also that of parents, teachers and most simply ourselves,
as the brothers and sisters we are to each other.
Back to Jerusalem
The disciples now had to go back to Jerusalem where they began to
proclaim what Jesus’ life, words, actions, suffering, death and rising to life
meant for them and for everyone else as well. This we see recorded in the First
Reading from Acts. The joy they had, the new meaning that had come into their
lives because of their encounter with Jesus, simply had to be shared with
others.
However, it was a message that not everyone wanted to hear.
In fact, they were warned by civil and religious leaders to stop what they were
doing. But they could not stop because they were guided by something deeper
than human authority, the authority of God’s Truth and Love. Not even when they
were arrested, punished and imprisoned could they stop. On the contrary, the
scars of their beatings became badges of pride because they had shared in the
humiliation and sufferings of Jesus their Lord.
An unpopular message
If we are to be truly disciples of Jesus, if we are to proclaim our faith
in its fullness, we can expect that we will be misunderstood, that we may be
pitied or despised, and that some may want to get rid of us—even violently.
Thousands of our brothers and sisters, in many parts of the world and in our
own lifetime, have had this experience. They do not regret it. Because of them,
the message of Christ, the message of Truth and Love, lives on.
A Prayer to live by
Perhaps we could finish with the words of a prayer of Cardinal John
Henry Newman (slightly adapted), which beautifully expresses what we have been
considering:
Dear Jesus,
Help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that all my life may be only a radiance of Yours.
Shine through me and be so in me
that every person I come in contact with
will feel your presence in me.
Let them look up and see,
not only me, but also Jesus.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/ec031/
Sunday,
May 4, 2025
Third Sunday of Easter
Opening Prayer
Father,
send Your Holy Spirit that the fruitless night of our life may be transformed
into the radiant dawn that enables us to know Your Son Jesus present among us.
Let Your Spirit breathe on the waters of our sea, as He did at the moment of creation,
to open our hearts to the invitation of the Lord’s love and that we may share
in the banquet of His Body and His Word. May Your Spirit burn within us,
Father, that we may become witnesses of Jesus, like Peter and John and the
other disciples, and that we too may go out every day to become fishermen and
women for Your kingdom. Amen.
The Word of the Lord for Today
A Reading of the Passage – John 21: 1-19
At
that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of
Tiberias.
He
revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his
disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said
to him, "We also will come with you." So they went out and got into
the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus
was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They
answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the
right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and
were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom
Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard
that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and
jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not
far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and
bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred
fiftythree large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." And none of the disciples
dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they realized it was the
Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like
manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his
disciples after being 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?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love
you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon
Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon
Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said
to him, "Tend my sheep." Jesus said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that Jesus
had said to him a 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. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you
used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will
stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you
do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would
glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."
The Context of the Passage:
After this first contact with the passage, I
now feel the need to understand its context. I pick up the bible and do not
allow superficial first impressions to influence me. I try to search and
listen. I open chapter 21 of John’s Gospel, which is practically at the end of
the Gospel. The end of anything usually summarizes all that went before it,
everything that was built up bit by bit. This catch on the lake of Tiberias
reminds me strongly and clearly of the beginning of the Gospel where Jesus
calls the first disciples, the same ones who are now present with Him: Peter,
James, John and Nathanael. The meal with Jesus, bread and fish, reminds me of
chapter 6 where the great multiplication of the loaves took place, the
revelation of the Bread of Life. The intimate and personal conversation between
Jesus and Peter, His triple question: “Do you love Me?” reminds me again of the
Easter vigil when Peter had denied the Lord three times.
Then, if I turn back the pages of the Gospel,
I find the wonderful passage concerning the resurrection: the haste by night of
Mary Magdalene and the other women to the sepulcher, the discovery of the empty
tomb, Peter and John’s race, their looking into the sepulcher, their
contemplation, their faith; I still find the eleven behind locked doors in the
cenacle and then the risen Jesus comes in, the gift of the Spirit, the absence
and unbelief of Thomas, a belief regained with the second coming in of Jesus; I
hear that wonderful proclamation of the beatitude, which is for all of us today,
called to believe without having seen.
Then I also go to the waters of that sea, on
a night with no catch, and empty handed. It is here and now that I am visited,
embraced by the manifestation, the revelation of the Lord Jesus. I am here, then, to recognize Him, to throw
myself into the sea and go towards Him to share in the banquet, to let Him dig
deep into my heart with His questions, His words, so that once more He may
repeat to me, “Follow Me!” and I, at last, may say to Him “Here I am!” fuller, truer
and stronger and for ever.
A Subdivision of the Text:
•
v.1: With the verb ‘revealed’, John immediately
draws our attention to a great event about to take place. The power of Jesus’
resurrection has not yet ceased to invade the lives of the disciples and thus
of the Church. It is just a matter of being prepared to accept the light, the
salvation offered by Christ. As He reveals Himself in this text now, so also
will He go on revealing Himself in the lives of believers, as well as in our
lives.
•
vv. 2-3: Peter and the other six disciples go
out from the locked cenacle and go to the sea to fish, but after a whole night
of labor, they catch nothing. It is the dark, the solitude, the inability of
human endeavors.
•
vv. 4-8: Finally the dawn comes, light returns
and Jesus appears standing on the shore of the sea. But the disciples do not
recognize Him yet; they need to embark on a very deep interior journey. The
initiative comes from the Lord who, by His words, helps them to see their need,
their situation: they have nothing to eat. Then He invites them to cast the net
again. Obedience to His Word works the miracle and the catch is abundant. John,
the disciple of love, recognizes the Lord and shouts his faith to the other
disciples. Peter believes and immediately throws himself into the sea to go as
quickly as possible to the Lord and Master. The others, however, follow
dragging the boat and the net.
•
vv. 9-14: The scene now changes on land, where
Jesus had been waiting for the disciples. Here a banquet takes place: Jesus’
bread is joined to the disciples’ fish, His life and His gift become one with
their life and gift. It is the power of the Word made flesh, made existence.
•
vv. 15-18: Now Jesus addresses Peter directly
heart to heart; it is a very powerful moment of love from which I cannot
separate myself, because those same words of the Lord are written and repeated
also for me today. It is a mutual declaration of love repeated three times,
capable of overcoming all infidelities and weaknesses. From now on a new life
begins for Peter, and for me if I so desire.
•
v. 19: This last verse of the text is rather
unusual because it is a comment of the Evangelist followed immediately by
Jesus’ very powerful and definitive word to Peter, “Follow Me!”, to which there
is no other reply than life itself.
A Moment of Prayerful Silence
Here I pause a
while and gather in my heart the words I have read and heard. I try to do what
Mary did, who listened to the words of the Lord and examined them, weighed them
and allowed them to speak for themselves without interpreting, changing,
diminishing or adding anything to them. In silence I pause on this text and go
over it in my heart.
Some Questions
•
“They went out and got into the boat” (v.3). Am
I also ready to embark on this journey of conversion? Will I let myself be
reawakened by Jesus’ invitation? Or do I prefer to go on hiding behind my
closed doors in fear like the disciples in the cenacle? Do I want to go out, to
go out after Jesus, to allow Him to lead me? There is a boat ready for me,
there is a vocation of love given to me by the Lord; when will I make up my
mind to respond truly?
•
“…But caught nothing that night” (ibid). Do I
have the courage to hear the Lord say to me that there is emptiness in me, that
it is night, that I am empty handed? Do I have the courage to admit that I need
Him, His presence? Do I want to open my heart to Him, my innermost self, that
which I constantly try to deny, to hide? He knows everything, He knows my
innermost self; He sees that I have nothing to eat, but it is I who have to
realize this about myself, that I must eventually come to Him empty handed,
even weeping, with a heart full of sadness and anguish. If I do not take this
step, the true light, the dawn of my day will never shine.
•
“Throw the net out to starboard” (v.6). The Lord
speaks clearly to me too in moments when, thanks to a person or a prayer
gathering or a Word spoken, I understand clearly what I have to do. The command
is very clear; I only need to listen and obey. “Throw out to starboard” [to the
right], the Lord says to me. Do I at last have the courage to trust Him, or do
I wish to go on my own way, in my own way? Do I wish to cast my net for Him?
•
“Simon Peter … jumped into the water” (v.7). I
am not sure that there is a more beautiful verse than this. Peter jumped in,
like the widow at the temple who cast all she had, like the man possessed who
was healed (Mk 5:6), like Jairus, like the woman with the hemorrhage, like the
leper, all of whom threw themselves at Jesus’ feet, surrendering their lives to
Him. Or like Jesus Himself who threw Himself on the ground and prayed to His
Father (Mk 14:35). Now is my time. Do I also want to throw myself into the sea
of mercy, of the Father’s love, do I wish to surrender to Him my whole life, my
whole being, my sufferings, my hopes, my wishes, my sins, my desire to start
again? His arms are ready to welcome me, or rather, I am certain that it will
be He who will throw His arms around my neck, as it is written … “While he was
still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the
boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him.”
•
“Bring some of the fish you have just caught”
(v.10). The Lord asks me to join my food with His, my life with His. While the
Evangelist is speaking of fish, it is as if he were speaking of people, those
whom the Lord Himself wishes to save through my efforts at fishing. That is why
He sends me. At His table, at His feast, He expects me and expects all those
brothers and sisters whom in His love He has placed in my life. I cannot go to
Jesus alone. This Word, then, asks whether I am prepared to go to the Lord, to
sit at His table, to celebrate Eucharist with Him and whether I am ready to
spend my life and my energies to bring with me many of my brothers and sisters
to Him. I must look within my heart sincerely and see my resistance, my closure
to Him and to others.
•
“Do you love Me?” (v.15). How can I answer this
question? How can I proclaim my love for God when all my infidelities and my
denials come to the surface? What happened to Peter is also part of my story.
But I do not want this fear to prevent me and make me retreat; no! I want to go
to Jesus, I want to stay with Him, I want to approach Him and say that I love
Him. I borrow Peter’s words and make them mine, I write them on my heart, I
repeat them, I give them breath and life in my life and then I gather courage
and say to Jesus, “Lord, You know everything; You know I love You.” Just as I
am, I love Him. Thank You, Lord, that You ask me to love and that You expect
me, You want me; thank You because You rejoice in my poor love.
•
“Feed my sheep… Follow me” (vv.15,19). That is
how the text ends. It is an openended ending and still goes on speaking to me.
This is the Word that the Lord entrusts to me so that I may put it into
practice in my life from this day forward. I want to accept the mission that
the Lord entrusts to me; I want to answer His call and to follow Him wherever
He may lead me, every day and in every small matter.
A Key to the Reading
Peter is
the first to take the initiative and proclaim to his brothers his decision to
go fishing. Peter goes out to the sea, that is, the world, he goes to his
brothers and sisters because he knows that he is a fisher of people (Lk 5: 10);
just like Jesus, who went out of the Father to come and pitch His tent in our
midst. Peter is also the first to react to the words of John who recognizes
Jesus on the shore. He ties his garment and throws himself into the sea. These
seem to me to be strong allusions to baptism. It is as if Peter wishes to bury
completely his past in those waters, just like a catechumen who enters the
baptismal font. Peter commits himself to these purifying waters, he allows
himself to be healed: he throws himself into the waters, taking with him his
self conceits, his faults, the weight of his denial, his tears, so as to rise
again a new man to meet his Lord. Before he throws himself into the water,
Peter ties his garment, just like Jesus did, before him, when He tied a garment
to wash the feet of His disciples at the last supper. It is the garment of a
servant, of one who gives him/herself to his/her brothers and sisters, and it
is this garment that covers his nakedness. It is the garment of the Lord
Himself, who wraps him in His love and His forgiveness. Thanks to this love,
Peter will be able to come up again from the sea and start all over again. It
is also said of Jesus that He came up out of the water after His baptism;
Master and disciple share the same verb, the same experience. Peter is now a
new man! That is why he will be able to affirm three times that he loves the
Lord. Even though his triple denial remains an open wound, it is not his last
word. It is here that Peter experiences the forgiveness of the Lord and realizes
the weakness that reveals itself to him as the place of a greater love. Peter
receives love, a love that goes well beyond his treachery, his fall, a surfeit
of love that enables him to serve his brothers and sisters, to lead them to the
green pastures of the Lord Jesus. Not only this, but in this service of love,
Peter will become the good shepherd, like Jesus Himself. Indeed, he too will
give his life for his sheep, he will stretch his arms in crucifixion, as we
know from history. He was crucified head down, he will be turned upside down,
but in the mystery of love he will thus be truly straightened up and fulfill
that baptism that began at the moment he threw himself into the sea with a
garment tied around him. Peter then becomes the lamb who follows his Shepherd
to martyrdom.
A Time of Prayer
Psalm 22
My
soul thirsts for You, Lord. Yahweh is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
In
grassy meadows He lets me lie.
By
tranquil streams He leads me to restore my spirit.
He
guides me in paths of saving justice as befits His name.
Even
were I to walk in a ravine as dark as death I should fear no danger, for You
are at my side.
Your
staff and Your crook are there to soothe me.
You
prepare a table for me under the eyes of my enemies; You anoint my head with
oil; my cup brims over.
Kindness
and faithful love pursue me every day of my life.
I
make my home in the house of Yahweh for all time to come.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we
thank You for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the
Father. May Your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to
practice what Your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, Your mother, not
only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the
Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
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