Third Sunday of Easter Year C
Acts 5:27–32, 40b-41
Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
The Gospels offer a splendid variety of stories of encounter with the risen Lord. No two are exactly the same, even when presenting parallel stories. The Gospel of John tells us about the “rehabilitation” of Simon Peter after his threefold denial that he knew Jesus.
Allusion to the past relationship between Peter and Jesus is present in the miraculous catch. Jesus is recognized, not by their seeing Him, but by His word and action.
He tells them to try the other side of the boat when they have fished all night without a catch. Jesus also feeds them, with fish He has caught as well as some of their own, along with bread. The multiplication of the loave and fishes and the meal shared the night before He died are the history that is renewed in this post-resurrection encounter.
When Jesus takes Peter aside, He reaches deep into the soul of the one He has chosen to be the leader among the disciples, freeing him of his sinful denial and opening up the pathway of love and mercy in his heart. The meal by the charcoal fire on the shore of the Sea of Galilee redeems the denial near the charcoal fire in the courtyard of the high priest’s house in Jerusalem.
Jesus does not make things easy. He presses Peter for a full commitment of love, expressed clearly and with passion. “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” Accepting Peter’s profession, He now entrusts to him the role of shepherd: “Feed My sheep.” He also warns Peter of the fact that in time, his fate will be like that of his Master.
The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows Peter and the Apostles in the thick of the battle, experiencing rejection and persecution for their message about the resurrection. They have been fully transformed by the Spirit of Jesus, free to make a clear proclamation of the truth and to accept joyfully the suffering they must endure for the sake of the message.
Peter puts it in a nutshell: “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 resurrection is the transforming moment in human history. When all of history was leading up to death, God was preparing the opening to new life. The faith of the Apostles gives them courage and zeal for their task of sharing this new life with any who are willing to hear it.
In our time, we find that the message of the Gospel has been rejected or forgotten. Jesus makes Himself known to us and calls us to renew our faith in Him, committing to serve as witnesses.
The Gospel accounts of the resurrection include many elements that can be useful in a life of prayer. John’s Gospel in particular gives us nuances that can serve to stir up in our hearts the kind of response that Jesus elicits from Peter.
St. Ignatius of Loyola suggested a form of meditation using the Scriptures that can draw us into the story and open our hearts to a greater awareness of love and mercy. Read the passage a few times, pausing on the parts that engage your imagination. Then, read it once again, slowly and prayerfully to let the Lord speak to your heart through the words that you are reading.
Once you “know” the story well, allow the Spirit to lead you through your imagination into it. Are you one of the disciples in the account? Are you Peter? Are you a bystander, one of the unnamed disciples?
Do you discover, much to your surprise, that the Spirit moves you to enter into the very heart of Jesus? Are you asking someone to make known the love that needs to be spoken? Are you being called to speak words of commitment? Who are the sheep entrusted to you?