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."
My BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
When we embrace the Christian way of life and recognize the influence of Jesus Christ, things do not become perfect. In fact, there are times when we might find ourselves in worse circumstances and situations than we were before our relationship with Him deepened. This world is corrupted by the presence of evil and Original Sin, thus bad things and bad people will always remain. The difference is that we have changed for the better, and, with the change, the experiences and life we have become better in comparison to before. We are no longer part of this world. We are separated from it, yet are still mandated to live within it. How we live is what matters. The Apostle Paul describes this situation as an exile:
“So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are home or away.”
Longing for the Lord is the first step in obtaining Wisdom. Physically separated from Jesus, we are still spiritually connected with Him. Keeping that connection with Him can only lead to good things. Whatever obstacles we face can be overcome because that which is light can never be overcome by darkness. Jesus is the true light that leads us to salvation.
During most of this Easter Season, we will be reading from the Acts of the Apostles. This is a historical book written by the Apostle Luke. It chronicles the establishment of the Early Church and the work of many of the Apostles. By reading it, we become witnesses to the challenges that were faced by the early Christians and how, with God’s help, they triumphed over adversity. Through these calamities, their faith became stronger while their message took on a life of its own, spreading throughout the world. The challenges and dishonor they incurred were faced with joy and an understanding that victory would always be achieved through Jesus Christ. In much the same way, we should understand that, when we put God’s will before our own, we too will be victorious. God’s will reveals what He wants for us instead of what we want for ourselves, which is oftentimes rooted in the material aspects of this world. Materialism leads to disenfranchisement and ultimately disappointment. There is no disappointment with God.
The Appearance of Jesus to the seven disciples brought everything full circle. Jesus initially called Peter, Andrew, James, and John while they were fishing. He told Peter and Andrew that He would make them, “Fishers of men.” Here, in the aftermath of the death of Jesus, His followers were scattered and confused. They had not yet understood the full implications of the Resurrection. Struck with fear, Peter decided to go back to what he was most comfortable with: fishing. Was this an attempt to seek comfort or was it a return to his old way of life, crestfallen and overwhelmed by circumstances beyond his control? Whatever reason there was, it was an attempt to bring about some sort of comfort, comfort in familiarity. He was at a crossroad of indecision.
It was then that Jesus came to them and brought that indecision to an end. He commanded them to cast their nets over the right side of the boat where they caught an overabundance of fish, just as Peter did previously when he was first called by Jesus. The disciples were afraid, but excited. They knew it was Him, but they did not dare question Him. It was then that Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. Each time it was a different kind of love He was referring to: eros, philia, and agape. These represent romantic, brotherly, and unconditional kinds of love. Each was a challenge to Peter and each came with a price: feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep. With that, the fissure of Peter’s denial was erased and was replaced by Jesus’ love.
Jesus is always with us. He will always provide us with good counsel and direction if we let Him. Sometimes there can be a temptation to go back to our old way of doing things because of the comfortability it offers, especially when we feel threatened or overwhelmed. It is here that we can find ourselves at crossroad, much like the disciples were: “Should we go back to what we were doing before? Is this new life even worth it, with all its challenges and obstacles?” Jesus is patiently waiting on the shoreline, ready to give us instruction if we are willing to receive it. We do not have to be exhausted and overworked with nothing to show for it. We can simply listen to what He is saying and be better off as a result. This is a victory, when we listen to Him instead of ourselves and what we want. Being guided by God is better than us being guided by ourselves. He would never direct us wrong. Can that be said for any of our other relationships?
It was through the presence of Jesus that the disciples were strengthened and invigorated, ready to receive their commission. We too can be ready to receive ours from Him. By listening to His instruction, and obeying what He has to say, we can be brought to a higher plain of understanding and awareness. Our lives will become more fulfilled as a result.
Things will never be perfect until we have left this world and are united completely with Jesus in the next. What can draw us close to perfection and commence our journey towards it is bringing Jesus into our lives and responding to his voice on the shoreline. That voice will never mislead us. It can only benefit us.
Deacon Tom
