Third Sunday of Easter Homily Year C

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER HOMILY YEAR C

Acts 5: 27-32, 40f.      Rev 5:11-14    Jn 21:1-19 (or 1-14)

Joyful Growth through Suffering

The Reality of the Resurrection; Peter the Head of the Church; The Universality of the Church

1st Reading – Acts 5:27-32, 40B-41

²⁷ When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them,

²⁸ “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.”

²⁹ But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men.

³⁰ The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.

³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.

³² We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

^40B The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.

⁴¹ 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 – Psalms 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.

² I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
⁴ 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.

⁵ Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
⁶ 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.

¹¹ Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
^12A You changed my mourning into dancing;
^13C O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or:
R. Alleluia.

2nd Reading – Revelation 5:11-14

¹¹ 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,

¹² 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.”

¹³ 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.”

¹⁴ 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 – John 21:1-19

¹ At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way.

² Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.

³ 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.

⁴ When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.”

⁶ 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.

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.

⁹ When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”

¹¹ 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.

¹² 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.

¹³ Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.

¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

¹⁵ 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.”

¹⁶ 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.”

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ 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.”

¹⁹ 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 John 21:1-14

¹ At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way.

² Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.

³ 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.

⁴ When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵ Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.”

⁶ 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.

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.

⁹ When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”

¹¹ 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.

¹² 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.

¹³ Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.

¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

Homily

The time after Jesus’ resurrection consisted of days of anguish as well as joy, during which the Apostles had to resume their ordinary work. Life had to go on! They had families to feed and support! So, far many of them, it was back to finishing on the Lake of Galilee.

It was there that day today’s Gospel story of seven disciples, led by St Peter, took place. The scene began at night, considered the best time for fishing. The boat would glide smoothly over the lake, torch blazing; the men would stare into the water until they saw a school of fish, and then, quick as lighting, skillfully throw their net or spear. Often, though, the tried fishermen would return to the dock in the morning with nothing to show for their work.

In today’s story, something in the modus operandi of the man standing on the shore caused St John to recognize the risen Lord. That wasn’t as easy as it may sound. Jesus’ body was the resurrected one, not the resuscitated one. His appearance was different from when they had known him before; for example, he might not have cast a shadow. When John pointed out Jesus’ identity, Peter, wanting to show Jesus he eagerness, became impatient with the slow-moving boat. He couldn’t wait to tie his loose shirt so it wouldn’t float when he jumped into water. For a Jew of that time, to offer a greeting was, after all, a religious act, and for it a man must be properly clothed. Though the other disciples came quickly in the boat, it was Peter who assumed the lead. He was beginning to grow into becoming a “rock”.

On shore, the fire, the fish, and the bread were another surprise. Because of the heavenly glory that was now Christ’s, his presence gave a solemnity to the scene. Nevertheless, the Apostles took the time to abide by their routine of counting their fish, the usual purpose of which was to divide the catch equitably. Many Scripture scholars have used the number of fish and the unbroken net to symbolize that the Church can hold a great number of people of all kinds without the loss of her unity.

To show the universality of the Church was, in fact, one of John’s purposes in writing this chapter of his Gospel. The other was to show – again – the reality of Jesus’ resurrection – to insist that the Risen Christ was not a hallucination or a spirit, but a real person. A hallucination or a spirit wasn’t likely to kindle a fire on a seashore or to cook a meal and share in eating it. The words John used for the meal – Jesus took the bread and gave it to them – allude to the Eucharist.

After the meal, the scene changed to Jesus’ dialog with Peter. He began by asking Peter three times whether Peter loved him. Not only is that a central question of every Christian’s life; Jesus’ followers are to be led by love and Jesus’ presence is recognizable only by love. Peter was full of sadness and confusion. Was Jesus alluding to his past sin of denying him three times and asking, “Do you love me now, at last?” Or was Jesus asking, “Do you love me more than you love the nets, the boat, and a catch of fish? Or was he asking, “Do you love me more than your fellow disciples do?”

Perhaps we recognize something of ourselves in the story of the Apostle Peter. In many ways, he is just like us. He was so simple, and yet so complex! When life got perplexing and too much for him, his strategy was direct, with his simple announcement, “I am going fishing.”

He was aware that he had often left much to be desired. When, for example, Jesus had given him permission to walk on water, and then Peter saw the first difficulty coming his way in the form of a wave, his faith began to leave and he began to sink. And there were other incidents – when he had stupid chided Jesus  at the Lord’s prediction of his passion, when he had selfishly wanted to stay forever at Jesus’ transfiguration, when he had childishly wanted to know how many times to forgive injuries, when at the Last Supper he didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet, when in the Garden of Gethsemane he had slept and then impulsively cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, when he had a glorious side, too, which was the reason for his ability to grow in fidelity and loyalty. Peter’s potential was the reason for Jesus’ asking him the leader of the Church.

Even today, though, Peter seems insensitive. When he met Jesus – met him after having denied him – he acted as if nothing significant had happened. As if nothing required comment or apology, he quickly ate his breakfast. But next to this charcoal fire on which fish had been cooked, perhaps he was thinking of that other fire – that charcoal fire at which he warmed himself during Jesus’ trial, warmed himself while he denied Jesus.

But Peter would no longer dare to say anything that would put him above the rest – no bold claims, no rash promises. He couldn’t even answer with the same word for “love” that Jesus used. Jesus’ word – agapas in the Greek of John’s Gospel – involved sacrifice, and Peter remembered that, after his previous grandiose promise to lay down his life for Jesus, he had denied Jesus three times. So, unsure of whether he was capable of that highest kind of love, he answered by affirming, again in the Gospel’s original Greek, philo, a love of feeling, of sentiment, of affection, and of attachment. Of those he was sure.

Upon Peter’s reply, the consequences of true love followed – responsibility and sacrifice. Jesus indicated Peter’s responsibility by directing him to “feed my lambs” and “feed my sheep.” He was making Peter his great shepherd. Then there was sacrifice. In Peter’s case, Jesus predicted that Peter’s love would involve the greatest sacrifice of all – his life. Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.” Jesus’ work was finished. And Peter could truly “follow” the Lord fully. Peter was not capable, like John, of lofty writings that soared like an eagle or, like Paul able to travel to the ends of the known world for Christ – but his determination to follow the Lord and to lead the Apostles enabled him to be the first head of the Church.

And Peter went on from greatness to greatness. His growth, like most of ours, was not a perceptible, continuous, eternal march upward, but a saw – toothed progress. Today’s First Reading records one of his five sermons in the Acts of the Apostles. In it, Peter for the first time used the word “savior” (v. 31), that precious word referring to Jesus as the liberator of Israel and the forgiver of people’s sins. To the Sanhedrin, the powerful leaders of the Jews before whom Peter spoke, this made Peter a heretic. To them, Peter and the Apostles were also a threat, because they were potential disturbers of the peace. If there were an uprising, Rome would come in to reestablish order and in the process would eliminate the Sanhedrin’s prestige. The proud members of the Sanhedrin were not about to let that happen.

The response of Peter and the Apostles showed them for what they were – men of courage, no longer aiming at “playing it safe”; men of principle, putting obedience to God’s word before everything else; and men with a clear idea of their duty, which was to witness for Christ. Peter’s response must always be ours. Better for us to obey God rather than people! The Sanhedrin, after giving some words of warning, dismissed the Apostles. For their part, the apostle left the Sanhedrin “full of joy”. Joy is the one unfailing sign of the Spirit’s presence, and the greatest sentiment of this Easter season. Here the Apostles were full of joy because they had an opportunity to share in Christ’s suffering.

This kind of love and joy provide the vision of heaven recounted in today’s passage from St John’s Book of Revelation. John’s heavenly vision contrasts with the anxiety of the court scene of Peter and the Apostles. John frequently took his language in this book from the Jewish Scriptures. In today’s section, the hymn is to “the Lamb that was slain”, that most powerful central image in the vision of John. The symbol recalled the bloody sacrifice of the Hebrews all right, but more compellingly Jesus in his death. The animal known for its meekness is now the conqueror, In John’s hymns to the Lord’s glory, the universal chorus of praise swells to a symphony. It reaches throughout the breadth of creation; it can’t go any farther. And it goes to the very height of John’s concept of Jesus – that Jesus now sits by the side of God.

For us, as for Peter, recognition of Jesus often comes slowly, sometimes in and through contact with others. We have all, like Peter and the other Apostles, responded in love. That often involves self-sacrifice, and perhaps suffering. Our modern opponents have discovered that killing people makes memorable martyrs of them, so the tactic of our day is condescending ridicule – the deception that the Church looks silly, unrealistic, decadent, and completely unworthy of the belief of a reasonable person.

We should accept that suffering – not in despair and self-pity, but “full of joy”. One job of reverses like suffering is to make sure we don’t get to comfortable and fall asleep and miss our life. Jesus’ resurrection shows that through suffering and death one can achieve triumph. A little girl, upon finding a butterfly cocoon, brought it home. She waited with eager expectation until the day for the butterfly to come out finally arrived. A tiny head appeared, munching its way through the gray, paper-thin wall. She viewed the little creature with love, but was not prepared for how long it would take and how difficult a time the butterfly would have. With a small stick, ever so carefully, she decided to help the butterfly. Within moments instead of hours the butterfly was free. Then it tried to fly, but when it stretched its wings, it fell and died.  “What happened?” the little girl pleaded, teary-eyed, to her father. “I even helped.” “The butterfly needed that struggle,” her father answered.  “Without that, it was   never able to strengthen its wings enough to fly.”

This basic principle of the Christian life is conveyed by the Apostles’ joy at suffering for Jesus’ sake (today’s First Reading), by John the Evangelist’s comment on Jesus’ word to Peter about his death (Gospel) and by the vision of the victorious Lamb that was slain (Second Reading). As in all these images, we are to be sensitive to coming to recognize his presence in family, friendships, community, and work.