Reading 1 Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
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
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 angelswho 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
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 JN 21:1-14
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, “ 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.
by Andy Alexander, S.J. |
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So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” John 21 I love the story from Acts. I've always been in awe of those Apostles who were so filled with the Spirit that they left this humiliating experience of being hauled up before the religious leaders and left rejoicing - seeing it as a privileged opporunity to share an intimacy with their Lord, in the dishonor of it all. I have often prayed, as I did today, that I might be drawn into a deeper love for our Lord and into a deeper freedom that I might rejoice, rather than grumble, at experiences which appear costly to me, in service of his name. And I really love this gospel. It is one of my favorite resurrection stories. I love the way it begins. Peter decides he is going to return to fishing - his former life. I am always struck by how quickly, after a religious celebration, even a religious experience, like Easter, that I so quickly return to my former life and its patterns. The joy of Easter doesn't seem to last, nor does its fire and mission. I love it that Jesus re-calls Peter by repeating the way he called him the first time. (I don't know whether it is true, but I like to assume that John's community knew there was a tradition - in Luke 5 - whether they read it or not.) So, it is wonderful to imagine that Jesus calls Peter to leave his fishing and to follow him - after the resurrection - the same way he first called him. Both times, after a night of fishing, when Peter's abilities didn't net any fish, Jesus' simple direction fills the nets to bursting. And, Peter recognizes that it is his Lord, risen from the dead. It reminds me that I often need to be renewed in my call, and my ability to recognize the Lord right before me, by remembering how I was first called. I need to be re-newed and re-animated by the memory that Jesus has much more power than I do. And, especially when I sense that my nets are pretty empty, I need to jump in the water and swim to the shore to get closer to the one who can fill any empty nets - the Lord who can fill any emptiness. When Peter gets to shore, Jesus is making him breakfast - providing food and nourishment is another reminder of who he is - and Jesus asks him to add Peter's catch to the grill. I want to never forget that my real food is from the Lord. I also want to always remember that his wonderful gifts to me will be part of that banquet. Now comes the really great part. Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves him. Peter is sad that Jesus asks him three times - surely remembering the three times he denied even knowing Jesus out of fear of getting caught up in his arrest and crucifixion. Each time Peter professes that he genuinely loves the Lord - not only answering the question but deepening his response each time, Jesus tells him what the love means: "Feed my sheep." Loving Jesus means, loving those he cares for. Though I've denied knowing him time after time - or seriously forgetting about it now and again - Jesus leads me into realizing and deepening in a sense of how much I really do love him. And, the real fruit of that communion is a love which leads to imitation. If I fall in love with Jesus, I fall in love with the way he is. I fall in love with his style of loving - desiring to imitate him in feeding his sheep. My desire to be with him grows into a desire to be like him. Finally, Jesus reminds Peter that in his past he went where he wanted to go and did what he wanted to do. This intimacy with Jesus will involve a communion with him in surrender to the Father's plan. It is so easy for me to think that my life, and its direction, is in my hands. It is consoling to accept that my life is in God's hands. That surrender is the closest way I can find the intimacy with Jesus that I really desire. When I hear Jesus say "follow me," I want to say "yes, Amen, thank you" more and more deeply, sensing what it means with deeper freedom and rejoicing at the privilege of sharing in the journey of my Savior and Lord. |
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