3rd
Sunday of Easter (Year C)
First
Reading: Acts 5:27-32 Second
Reading: Revelation 5:11-14
Gospel Reading: John
21:1-19
“JESUS IS ALIVE AND HE IS ALWAYS WITH US!”
A
European missionary, who labored on the east coast of Africa in
medieval period, tells this story: One day a little black boy came to
him and enquired, “Was
Jesus a white man or a black man?”
The missionary was going to say right away that Jesus was a white
man, but he happened to guess what was in the black boy's mind. He
knew that if he said Jesus was a white man, the boy would turn away
with a sad look, thinking that everything that was good had been
given to the white man. So the missionary thought for a moment. He
remembered that Jesus lived, when on earth, in a very warm country,
that the people were dark skinned, though not black. So he answered,
“No, Jesus was not
a white man, nor a black man, but sort of between the two. He was
kind of brown.” “Oh, then he belongs to both of us, doesn't he?”
exclaimed the little fellow with delight and went away.
Yes,
Jesus belongs to all of us. He belongs to you and to me. Risen Jesus
has a Jewish face, a Chinese face, an Indian face, a Filipino face, a
Vietnamese face, a European face, an African face, an American
face... and is present everywhere. “Jesus
is alive and he is always with us.”
To
Begin...
We
are in Easter season and today is its 3rd Sunday. During this time,
we continue to reflect upon the theme of the Resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
In
the Second Reading of today, the author of the Book of Revelation
describes a visionary, mystical experience in which countless
creatures recognize Jesus as the Lamb of God and the Lamb of
sacrifice, slain but risen
and victorious, who
receives blessing, and
honor, and glory.
This is set in the Heavenly Court where he is about to open
the sealed scroll of revelation which he had just taken from God’s
hand. This is an image beyond any measure and grasp of human
imagination. First, the wonder and glory of the Divine Mystery,
and secondly, the focus and worship of the entire
universe, both spiritual and physical, are put forth here. It is an
inspiring moment; but, once again, there is no pretense here. And by
telling and describing the scene, today's reading wants us to wrestle
with the mystery of God, especially as we contemplate the mysteries
of Christ’s death and resurrection, so that filled with hope, we
can begin to comprehend the largeness
and fullness
of the salvation offered us by Christ.
Back
to Old Ways:
The
Gospel Reading for this Sunday has something of the air of an
appendix to the Gospel of St. John. The author highlights the
third post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples
at the Lake Tiberias, far away from Jerusalem, the capital, and in
the home territory of the Galilean Apostles. The first two
appearances were both in Jerusalem in the Upper Room, inside
the closed doors – one being on the eve of the Resurrection and the
other eight days later.
The
Gospel narrative of today allows us to assume that the initial
excitement about Jesus’ Resurrection has possibly calmed down a
bit. The prevailing mood is not one of exultant joy. Instead, Simon
Peter and a rather motley crew have left Jerusalem and gloomily gone
all the way back to 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 it seemed that it was all
over and they themselves were in danger, and to keep busy out of fear
and concern, they were back to what they had always been doing.
A
Large Catch of Fish:
The
disciples toiled the whole night, but to their disappointment they
caught nothing. When it was dawn, the unrecognized figure of Risen
Jesus appeared to them on the shore and directed their fishing.
Following his command, the disciples caught an enormous amount of
fish. Indeed, the superabundant catch was a 'sign'
of the Risen Lord’s presence and power, which induced
the 'beloved disciple' to cry
out, “It
is the Lord!” The
'beloved disciple' who saw the
sign of the empty tomb on Easter morning is the same disciple who
proclaimed his faith-recognition at dawn by the waters of
Tiberias - “Jesus is alive and he is
always with us.” In
the symbolism of the Gospel, the boat and those in it represent the
Church, the community in Christ.
We
are told that Peter and his companions dragged the net to the shore -
“full
of one hundred fifty-three large fish.”
Although we do not know the precise symbolic meaning of this number,
it probably refers to the future missionary
work of the apostles and its universal
character.
Again,
in spite of the heavy load of fish, the net was not torn, indicating
the integral
character of the Christian community. The net that encompasses the
great quantity of fish points to the great variety
and multitude
of believers that will be brought into the faith, forming the One,
Catholic
and Universal
Church of Christ. In their apostolic task as 'fishers
of men and women,'
the disciples need to solely rely on the Risen Lord for the efficacy
of their mission. They can catch nothing without the assistance of
the Lord. To act without Jesus is futile. Without his presence,
casting the net into the sea of life is in vain.
Breakfast
at the Lake-shore:
When
the disciples arrive at the
lake-shore, with the boat and the catch, they find breakfast
prepared, an invitation to supply the fish, and a summons to
breakfast. The group does not experience a rush of joy, however;
instead we are told that “No
one dared to ask ‘Who are you?’ knowing that it was the Lord.”
The
breakfast at Tiberias is introduced by the episode of the miraculous
catch of fish. The breakfast that Jesus prepares and serves to
his disciples has a Eucharistic overtone. This 'sign'
is an announcement of the Eucharist. There are all the elements of a
Eucharist here. The Gospel writer narrates: “Jesus
came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner
the fish.” Here we see Jesus and the disciples
are sharing what they have and eating in unity and community
- such a simple scene which is a beautiful picture of the Church. The
meal at the lake-shore also evokes the multiplication of the loaves
and fish that Jesus accomplished at Lake Tiberias at the beginning of
his ministry. Jesus fed the hungry crowd at the lake-shore with bread
and fish, distributing as much as needed, and with twelve baskets of
the bread fragments left over.
We know that it is the
Lord who sets the table and invites us: He gives himself to be the
food of those he gathers. Indeed, in the Eucharist, the Risen Lord
continues to be present to us in the bread of the Word that we share
and in the sacramental form of bread and wine. The glorified Jesus
nourishes us with the bread of his living Word and with his own body
and blood. The Easter event of the Risen Lord feeding his flock
continues to be actualized in the 'here and
now' of the Church through the Eucharist, the sacrament of
Christ’s Passover - “Jesus
is alive and he is always with us.”
Reconciliation
and Commissioning:
The
last part of today’s Gospel Reading presents to us a very special
and touching scene between the Risen Jesus and Peter. Within one
dialogue it combines two things. The mention of the “charcoal
fire with fish on it” prepares us for this scene.
Jesus used the 'charcoal
fire' in his servant role as chef and as the
giver of bread and fish. This 'charcoal
fire' now serves as a witness for Peter’s
profession of love, recalling the previous 'charcoal
fire' at the hour of Jesus’ passion, next to
which Peter had denied the Lord.
On the one hand, there is
the reconciliation between Jesus and Peter. Jesus offers Peter
a public opportunity to profess 'repentance
through love,' surely a striking example of what it is
that re-establishes our relationship with the Lord after sin. In the
gentlest of ways, the Risen Lord asks him, "Simon,
son of John, do you love me more than these?" Peter
now is confronted with his threefold denial and he evasively
responds, "Yes, Lord, you know that I
love you." Three times he is asked the same question
just as three times he had denied. Now Peter is ‘upset.’
It deeply hurts him and he finally replies using the word he has
been avoiding so far, "Lord, you know
everything; you know that I love you." Peter’s
threefold denial is balanced by his threefold profession of love.
With this, he and the Lord are 'at-oned.'
On the other hand,
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, religious who have this
responsibility. It is also that of parents, teachers and even simply
as brothers and sisters to each other.
Back
to Jerusalem:
The
disciples now had to go back to Jerusalem where they began to boldly
and fearlessly proclaim what Jesus' life, words, actions,
suffering, death and rising to life meant for them and for everyone
else as well. 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. This we see recorded in the
First Reading of today from the Acts of the Apostles.
However, it was a message
that not everyone wanted to hear. In fact, they were arrested and
interrogated by the Jewish Supreme Court or Sanhedrin and warned by
civil and religious leaders to stop what they were doing. When the
high priest demanded that Peter and company should listen to him and
obey his orders, the apostles made it very clear that “they
must obey God rather than men.” Not even when they were
arrested, punished, imprisoned could they stop. On the contrary, the
scars of their beatings became 'reasons for
joy' and 'badges of pride'
because they had shared in
the humiliation and sufferings of Jesus their Lord.
To
Conclude...
Today,
when we are reflecting upon the theme of the Resurrection of our Lord
Jesus, let us bring ourselves in the living presence of the
Risen Lord. Yes, through the sacraments especially, privileged
encounters with the Risen Lord, you and I can experience the power of
God in our own lives. So, we proclaim, “Jesus
is alive and he is always with us.”
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 realization calls
each one of us believers to 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 realize that they
could no longer go back to their boats and live for themselves.
We
also notice that in the post-resurrection appearances the Risen Jesus
at first is not
recognized
by his followers. The Risen Jesus does not look like the way 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 – our neighbors, our
friends and enemies. He is especially to be found and recognized in
the poor, the exploited, the handicapped, the weak, the uneducated,
the stranger, the foreigner... Christianity must never become a
religion of insiders because it is precisely in the outsider that
Jesus is to be found. Let us therefore joyfully proclaim, “JESUS
IS ALIVE AND HE IS ALWAYS WITH US!”
And
this is the Good News of today.
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