Deacon Tom Anthony

Third Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 48

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

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 Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

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 Rev 5:11-14

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 Jn 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 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."

My Brothers and Sisters,

 What a beautiful interaction between Jesus and seven of His disciples the Gospel Reading today brought us. Through it we become witnesses to just how personal Jesus’ relationship was with all of His disciples. It was deep, affectionate, intimate, and loving. After His resurrection, the disciples needed this type of care and attention to strengthen their faith and also to validate everything that happened before. In every relationship there is a need to reinforce the ties that bind with words of encouragement and signs of affection. A smile and a hug can go a long way. A simply started, “I love you,” said at the right time can make all the difference in someone’s life and can make a really bad day better. Jesus and His disciples were human. Their emotions, thoughts, and feelings were not unlike our own. Their needs and wants are easily mirrored in our own lives. Sometimes this is forgotten when the words of Sacred Scripture are read and meditated on. The humanness of what is being told and the feelings that were felt through the experiences dictated can sometimes be lost on the reader even though it can be argued that these same things are important to the overall experience of reading Sacred Scripture. If God is truly love then all of our experiences with Him including reading Sacred Scripture should be approached with that as a central factor.

The disciples gathered with Jesus and ate breakfast with Him. It was during times like this that Jesus would minister to His disciples and the multitudes. Eating together is a social act and can be both personal and intimate. It is where people are usually most relaxed and ready to engage in unforced conversation. In Jewish tradition, eating with someone indicated there was a personal relationship and there was also a spiritual aspect also. Jesus invited the disciples to eat with Him as a sign of love and companionship. They were being invited into an interaction with Him that went beyond the simple act of eating. The disciples were present in the moment with Jesus, being nourished by Him physically, mentally, and spiritually. No one spoke until after the meal was done; all just enjoyed being in the presence of one another.

What Jesus said was of importance but not of any more importance than Him just being with them. We are invited to experience Jesus the same way in our lives: enjoying the moment with Him without really doing anything else. That is one of the gifts that Jesus has given us as His children. Before His crucifixion He said as much with the words, “Remain in me and I will remain in you.” There are no preconditions to this state of being only a realization that Jesus is with us and  that we recognize that presence. Through this recognition we become benefactors of our God being with us every moment of our lives. Just as the disciples ate silently with Him we too can be with Him just as closely and intimately.

Jesus wants us to be close to Him. It is why we were given the gift of the Eucharist. Joining ourselves to Him physically, mentally, and spiritually enables us to become even closer to Him. At that point of receiving His body and His blood, nothing can separate us from Him and Him from us. The joining of us to our God in that way cannot be understated. Whatever Christ experience we were witness to cannot be compared to that of receiving the Eucharist. Scripture attests to this fact as it was revealed that the disciples recognized Jesus through the Breaking of the Bread. Their hearts and minds were opened through that act. Our hearts and minds are opened in much the same way, gathering together and partaking in the meal of His body and blood, just as the disciples ate with Him previously.

Being a Christian is all about relationships. Our relationship with Jesus is the most important and all of our other relationships should be influenced by it. When we approach all of our interactions with Jesus at the forefront then our lives and our experiences take on a deeper meaning. We are participating in life with Jesus and doing that insures that whatever is experienced is influenced by His presence. Things become easier. Things become more joyous. It is only when the intimacy of Jesus is ignored that things become difficult and negative. Jesus frees us from that state and those feelings.

What other place can one imagine being then breaking bread with Jesus by the water. We have been invited there and there is nothing except ourselves preventing us from going.

Deacon Tom