Urban Hermit at 3156 Doyle Street, Toledo, OH 43608-2006 US - Triduum through 3rd Sunday of Easter
| Triduum through 3rd Sunday of Easter |
Holy Thursday—The Lord's Supper: So You Must Do Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14—This day shall be a memorial feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord, as a perpetual institution. Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18—Our blessing cup is a communion with the blood of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26—Every time, then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes! John 13:1-15—If I washed your feet—I who am Teacher and Lord—then you must wash each other's feet. What I just did was to give you an example: as I have done, so you must do. Here we stand at the beginning of the Triduum, the three-day liturgy, the most sacred three days of our church's cycle of celebrations. When we make the Sign of the Cross at the beginning of tonight's Mass, we officially end Lent and step into the Paschal Mystery. The scriptures for these three days walk us through Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. The first step takes us to the Lord's Supper. We remember. We remember the Passover of the Israelites, our ancestors in faith. We remember Jesus' Passover celebration with the disciples. We remember with Christians around the world and over the centuries: it is the Passover of the Lord. Interesting, then, that today's Gospel focuses on the washing of feet rather than the breaking of the bread. The old covenant promise holds: we are children of God and heirs of the promise of life. The new covenant brings its promise and its challenge: as children of God and heirs of the promise of life, we are to follow Jesus, and our following Jesus means that we are to be servants of one another. Jesus washed his disciples' feet. In his culture the washing of the guests' feet as they entered the house was a task relegated to the servants of the house, not the master. Again countercultural, Jesus the teacher kneels before his students and shows them the kind of service they must render as his followers. Jesus does this service with grace, but the disciples receive it with far less grace. Peter objects, then submits, in both responses revealing his lack of understanding of Jesus' message. The idea of "servant discipleship" remains, even after 2000 years, a difficult concept and a hard task. The one who is the leader—the pastor, the boss, the principal, the captain, the parent, the chair of the committee, the head nurse, the teacher—serves the others. Christian leadership sees the needs of the group and undertakes the tasks necessary to fulfill them. Good Friday—The Passion of the Lord: Ecce Homo Isaiah 52:13-53:12—A grave was assigned to him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers, though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. Psalm 31:2-6, 12-13, 15-16, 17-25—Father, I put my life in your hands. Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9—We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God; let us hold fast to our profession of faith. John 18:1-19, 42—When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak, Pilate said to them, "Look at the man!" As soon as the chief priests and the temple police saw him they shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" What do we humans do when someone tells us something we don't want to hear? We kill the messenger! Whistleblowers as adults, snitches as children, the people who point to wrongs in school, on the job, or in the community are shunned, ostracized, and discriminated against. Jesus is our model whistleblower—pointing to the injustice in his society, he found himself persecuted for crimes he never committed. The very people who committed the wrongs he pointed out conspired to get rid of him. During a dialogue homily this week, one of the members of the assembly asked about betrayal—when you know a friend is doing something wrong, should you report him? He has a friend who is collecting disability payments to which he is not entitled. The dialogue was enlightening: the man did not want to report his friend to the authorities because he didn't want to be a "snitch"—even though he clearly believes the friend is doing wrong. He doesn't want to lose the friendship—it's too great a risk. These days in Toledo Dr. Tim Reichard is much in the news—the Toledo Zoo veterinarian who tried to do his job, reported wrongs to his superiors, and, when they did nothing, reported them to their superiors. He took the risk. Now, after 22 years on the job, he is persona non grata with Zoo officials, vilified for trying to correct problems. So far, he has not escaped with his job—but he will, in our society, escape with his life. Jesus did not escape with his life. He knew the probable consequences to anyone who spoke the truth about the established authority's wrongs, yet he spoke out anyway. He took the risk. If we are to be his followers, we must look clearly at the world around us, and take the risk. These days, that means speaking out against war, speaking out against capital punishment, speaking against persecution of people with homosexual orientation, speaking out against environmental degradation, speaking out against discrimination of all kinds in our society. We are called to risk, knowing the consequences. God will be with us. Easter Vigil: First Witness, First Apostle I Genesis 1:1-2:2—God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Response: Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12, 13-14, 24-25—Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth. II Genesis 22:1-18—God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, "Abraham!" "Ready!" he replied. Response: Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11—Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope. III Exodus 14:15-15:1—"I will sing to God, who is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot God has cast into the sea." Response: Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18—Let us sing to God, covered in glory. IV Isaiah 54:5-14—My love shall never leave you, nor my covenant of peace be shaken. Response: psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13—I will praise you, God, for you have rescued me. V Isaiah 56:1-11—For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I send it. Response: Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6—You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation. VI Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4—Hear, O Israel, the commandments of life: listen, and know prudence! Response: Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11—Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. VII Ezekiel 36:16-28—I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees. You shall live in the land I gave your ancestors; you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Response: Psalm 51:12-13, 14-15, 18-19—Create a clean heart in me, O God. Epistle Romans 6:3-11—You must consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus. Response: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Gospel A: Matthew 28:1-10—Mary Magdalene and the other Mary hurried away from the tomb half-overjoyed, half-fearful, and ran to carry the good news to his disciples. Suddenly, without warning, Jesus stood before them and said, "Peace!" The women came up and embraced his feet and did him homage. At this Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid! Go and carry the news to my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, where they will see me." Gospel B: Mark 16:1-8—Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome saw a young man sitting in the tomb when they entered. This frightened them thoroughly, but he reassured them: "You need not be amazed! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, the one who was crucified. He has been raised up; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. Go now and tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you to Galilee, where you will see him just as he told you.'" Gospel C: Luke 24:1-12—On their return from the tomb, the women—Mary of Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James—told these things to the Eleven and the others. The other women with them also told the apostles, but the story seemed like nonsense and they refused to believe them. Easter Sunday Acts 10:34a, 37-43—To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name. 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8—Let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. John 20:1-9—Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
Imagine yourself on the outskirts of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. It’s just barely daybreak, and the hills are empty as the birds start their morning song. Then, on the horizon you see a figure—then two more, then a few others—moving towards the rocky tombs carved into the hillside. These silent figures, bent in grief, carry spices to anoint the dead in accordance with their Jewish ritual. And who are they? Who is in this small group of faithful mourners coming to anoint the body of Jesus of Nazareth? Is it the first Pope of the Church, the renowned Peter the Fisherman? Or is it the beloved disciple, the famed John? Perhaps it is another of the Twelve, historically revered as closest to Jesus? No. It is none of these. The first to arrive at the empty tomb, the first witness to the risen Christ, the first apostle sent forth, is Mary of Magdala. It is instructive to note that this woman has not fared well in our patriarchal western tradition, where she is most often portrayed as a sinner by those who collapse the stories of the woman caught in adultery with their reminisces of this Mary. This Mary, according to Eastern Christian tradition, was the woman from whom Jesus expelled seven demons. She had followed him, along with other women, around Galilee, supporting him from her means. In a priestly action, she anointed his head with precious oil when his host neglected him. She had followed him to Golgotha, where she stood at the cross. Faithful to the end, she followed him to the tomb and noted where he was laid. And she returned, as John tells us, early the next morning while it was still dark, to complete the burial rituals. Her faithful following put her in the position of being the first of the disciples to witness to the resurrection of the Lord. The male disciples, as Luke relates, did not believe her when she told them: The story “seemed like nonsense.” Isn’t that tendency typical of men in our culture discounting the knowledge women possess? Eastern tradition also tells us that Mary Magdalene traveled extensively, preaching the Gospel; she was martyred for her faith. Our Western tradition minimizes her apostolic role and turns her into the stereotypical fallen woman. As we once again celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, it would be good to resurrect the true picture of this woman first sent to preach the good news. This Mary is a role model par excellence for all followers of the Lord: Faithful follower, priestly disciple, proclaimer of the Gospel, first apostle to the world. A blessed Easter to you and yours! ___________________________________________________________ 2nd Sunday of Easter (A): They Devoted Themselves Acts 2:42-47—They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. Psalm 118: We give you thanks, O God, for you are good and your love is everlasting. 1 Peter 1:3-9—Rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. John 20:19-31—Peace be with you. Does our parish do anything—do we as individuals and as the people of God gathered in community do anything—that might make someone want to be one with us? That's the perennial question of evangelization. Today's reading from Acts describes the early Christians in their daily life. "They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers." And then, "Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart." The people who saw their way of life were attracted to it. They saw equality, learning, sharing, praying, and glorifying God, and they saw a people enriched and enlivened by it. They wanted to become like them, and so "every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved." Jesus was different from the religious leaders of his time, different from John the Baptist. Jesus prophesied a coming time of destruction allowed by God unless people turned from their evil ways and did good instead. The kingdom of God would come, he announced, through the compassion each individual showed to others. In the kingdom of God the poor would be lifted up and the rich would be brought down. So the early Church tried to model to the world around them, and faith in The Way spread like wildfire. So often we are tempted to see God's will in our financial success or our good health or our educational prowess. Yet Jesus clearly does not see God's will there. His ministry did not measure faith by worldly success. It measured faith not by success at gaining the values of the world but by liberation from the values of the world. His followers sold their "extras," sharing the proceeds with the community. It was a miracle of sharing—just like the miracle of multiplication of loaves and fish. When a person leaves behind the "getting and spending" of this world and looks to the compassion and caring of God's world, miracles happen. Last week I was telling some friends about Claver House, a soup kitchen run at my parish. I was explaining that Mondays are special because they're usually able to serve eggs to the 75-plus folks who show up at the door for breakfast. It takes 15 dozen eggs—which can be bought for about $10. One of the retirees in the group, a woman on limited income, opened her purse and handed me a $10 bill—"for an 'egg day,'" she said. I knew that she lived on a limited income, so I was impressed by the fact that she was eager and willing to help those who have even less. She is indeed a follower of The Way of Jesus. We need to ask ourselves what we are doing. Are we sharing our extras? Are we compassionate to the poor and the outcast? Are we being peace to our families, our neighborhoods, and our world? Are we engaging in the forgiveness to which Christ calls us? As we go about this week, let's remember that Jesus sends us with the good news: The kingdom of God is in our midst. Let's work that out in our homes and in our parishes so that all who see us will know that we are Christians. God bless!
2nd Sunday of Easter (B): No Needy Person among Them
Acts 4:32-35—The community of believers was of one heart and one mind. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24—We give you thanks, O God, for you are good; your love is everlasting.
1 John 5:1-6—We know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.
John 20:19-31—Peace be with you.
Dear People of God,
We gather as communities—people of God, we call ourselves, a community of faith. We celebrate our faith in this relationship of believers. Is our celebration premature?
How do we measure up to the standard set forth in today's scriptures? Are we indeed of one heart and one mind? Do we distribute our goods according to the needs of the community?
My home parish operates a breakfast kitchen for the poor. From time to time I've dropped in to help out or just to have breakfast, and I've noticed that the quality of food served there is not always the best. The kitchen operates on donations, and some days it's painfully obvious that the items donated are the scraps from the table and stale surplus from the pantry. And, for someone who's conscious of health concerns, there's a dearth of fresh fruit and whole grains but plenty of salt, fat, and refined sugar. Lots of donuts. From time to time I see quality offerings, like whole grain bread and fresh cut flowers on the tables. The kitchen serves what is donated.
This Easter season calls us to examine our practices in the light of the resurrected Christ. Granted that we do many good things in our parishes. If we are giving from our surplus, however, we are failing to follow the example set out for us today.
The early Christian community also fell short, according to later sections in the Acts of the Apostles. Objections to unfairness in the distribution of goods were brought to the attention of the leaders. Members who claimed to give all the proceeds from sale of their surplus property withheld some for their own good. At the same time, many members of the community met the standard. They loved God and kept the commandments, and it was obvious from the way they loved the children of God.
As we go about this week, let's take a close look at the way we measure out our contributions to the common good. Do we really need all that we set aside for our own use?
God bless!
___________________________________________________________
2nd Sunday of Easter: (C): Peace be with you!
Acts 5:12-16—Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles.
Psalm 118: We give you thanks, O God, for you are good and your love is everlasting.
Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19—I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s Day.
John 20:19-31—Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.
Dear People of God,
What does forgiveness entail? I don’t mean just a simple “I’m sorry” after you jostle someone in a crowd. I mean real forgiveness for real harm done. How is that possible?
When I think back over the real harms that have been done to me in my life, I find first of all that there aren’t many, and that most of "harms" done to me were not intentional.
In light of today’s gospel, I engaged in a little exercise of reminiscence. I made a list of all the hurts and harms that I had suffered in my life. I had twenty-five items on my list after about ten minutes. Just over two dozen hurts in 57 years. That’s not even one every two years. Not many.
I went over the list and crossed off the ones that were not intentional, things people did because of the way they had been taught to think or the way things were in the culture at the time. I crossed off people with mental illnesses, like the enraged trucker who tried to run me off the road and the woman who refuses to greet me at Mass. Then I crossed off the ones that came out of people being pressured to act in a certain way out of fear of recrimination; these folks may have lacked moral courage to do the right thing, but they believed they had no choice. For example, I crossed off the driver who gave me false insurance information after he rear-ended my car. I don’t believe his intention was to do me harm; I believe he was simply trying to avoid the cost of repairs and the legal consequences of driving without insurance.
That same swath cut off the people who stole my car last year, the burglars who carted off my television and radio, and all the others who committed property crimes against me. They were certainly guilty, but I believe they set out to steal something, not directly to do me harm. And the harm they did was primarily financial if I discount the resulting need I had to re-establish faith in humankind after the thefts.
At that point I had to cross off the employer who’d defrauded me of several thousand dollars I’d invested in his business in the understanding that I’d own a share of it. Certainly harm, but only financial, not personal.
The next two I eliminated had to do with politics: campaign dirty tricks and an offer to pay me to withdraw from the ballot. Then I crossed off the people who believed they were acting appropriately when they took action that harmed me, whether from misinformation or misunderstanding. While they intended to do me harm, they believed they were right to do so because they had been misled or had failed to find out pertinent facts.
That left three hurts on my list. One of them involved vicious gossip that seriously harmed and continues to harm my reputation with a large group of people. I examined that for some time and was tempted to cross it off, too. The people involved were not mature Christians. In some ways, they suffered from serious personality defects, and, while that does not excuse them from culpability, it certainly suggests that their harming me was simply a by-product of who they are. Yet they chose to neglect their own moral formation. As my grandmother would have said, “They’re old enough to know better.”
The penultimate one involved damage done, and being done, because of environmental sin. The air I breathe, the water I drink, the food I eat, the buildings I live and work in, are all contaminated with harmful chemicals. The list of harmful effects is a long one, including global warming, ozone depletion, acid rain, genetically modified seeds, radiated food, and auto and factory emissions. This is a sin I’m also guilty of, even though I make some efforts to live an environmentally responsible lifestyle. Before I point the finger at polluters, I must clean up my own habits.
The last one involved the damage done by patriarchy and gender discrimination. Because of the way women are treated in this culture, I am thwarted from developing to my full potential. I am hindered from exercising full and responsible stewardship over the gifts God has given me. I am barred from answering God’s call in my life. The people who perpetuate this discrimination believe their worldview is true. They do not intend harm; they simply intend to maintain what they believe to be the proper order of things. The same rationale, however, was used to excuse slavery. It’s still being used to excuse the killing of young black males by Cincinnati police.
Disciples “make a conscious, firm decision, carried out in action, to be followers of Jesus Christ, no matter what the cost. …this commitment is expressed not in a single action, or even in a number of actions over a period of time, but in an entire way of life,” according to the National Council of Catholic Bishops in their 1993 pastoral letter on the disciple’s response of stewardship.
Today’s gospel calls us to seek forgiveness for our own sinful habits. It calls us to forgive those who have harmed us, even when the damage is irreparable. It calls us to peace.
God bless!
___________________________________________________________________
3rd Sunday of Easter (A): Distractions
Acts 2:14, 22-33—With the Lord at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Psalm 16: Lord, you will show us the path to life.
1 Peter 1:17-21—Conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning.
Luke 24:13-35—While they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
Dear People of God,
How many times have we seen the picture portrayed by Luke in today's Gospel pericope? Here are the disciples, the very people who have walked side by side with Jesus throughout his earthly ministry, unable to recognize him. Because they are so distracted by their own conversation—a debate, no less—they do not see the very object of their discussion.
Isn't this what we see, way too often, in our parishes? The good ladies of the Rosary Altar Society huddle near the coffeepot arguing about which end of the table to put the napkins and plates on while the Deacon delivers the homily calling them to service in the name of Jesus. A parishioner volunteers to serve as Lector at a Saturday Mass where only three readers attend, but she's told she has to go through a year-long formation and training process and be approved by the Diocese before she's eligible. The Choir chooses to perform complex four-part harmony songs, not in the parish hymnal, for the Easter celebration, and those marginal Catholics who might have been stirred by familiar Alleluias go away with the fire of the Spirit still banked and growing colder within them.
When Peter writes in our second reading that we are to conduct ourselves with reverence, he is asking us to be mindful that we are being watched. Every minute of every day someone is looking at us and will see how we welcome or reject the Spirit of God among us. Every minute of every day the Spirit of God is peeking out at us through the eyes of those we encounter: do we recognize that Spirit, or do we continue to amble along, debating among ourselves whether or not God is with us?
As we go about this week, let's pray for the gift of sight: in gratitude for our physical sight, to be sure, but also that we might see God walking with us along the way.
God bless!____________________________________________________________
3rd Sunday of Easter (B): Repent!
Acts 3:13-15, 17-29—Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.
Psalm 4: Lord, let your face shine on us.
1 John 2:1-5a—I am writing this to you so that you may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.
Luke 24:35-48—Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations.
Dear People of God,
Those first words from the mouth of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry, as recorded in the Gospel of Mark, call us to repent. Today's passages from Acts, Luke, and the first letter of John carry the same message: Repent!
But, we protest, we've just finished the 40 days of Lent! We've repented! We've confessed! This is the Easter-Pentecost season of resurrection! Why are we still hearing this message of repentance? Perhaps the reason is that this message is THE message of Christianity and we have not yet heard it. We are called, again and again, to turn our lives around, to obey the commandments, to follow the Way of Jesus.
As the President of the United States declares the war against Iraq over, the Word calls us to repent. There is much celebration in our land—troops returning, a military conquest, a dictator toppled. Yet we are called to repent, and we have much to repent before we ourselves can preach without hypocrisy the message of repentance.
We are the nation that has used its great wealth to create the means of crushing a people, and we have used it. We have killed in the name of democracy. We have killed in the name of security. We have killed, we who have claimed to be a "nation under God." We kill with our weapons, and we kill with our lifestyles.
We have a habit of buying goods made by the hands of children who are paid pennies for their work. We have habits of consuming, wasting, and spending that enslave millions in poor countries. We have habits of trampling on the environment, degrading the world God gave us for our own personal gain and pleasure.
Before we can preach repentance, we must ourselves repent. We are guilty of murder, and we are called to change our lives. Let us call upon the Messiah to plead for us with God that we might find the vision and the courage to do so.
God bless!
____________________________________________________________
3rd Sunday of Easter (C): The Net
Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41—Rejoice when you have been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name.
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13: I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Revelation 5:11-14—All on earth cry out, blessing and honor, glory and might, for ever and ever.
John 21:1-19—Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of 153 large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Dear People of God,
Over the years I’ve worked in a number of parishes, and, with all the moving around before I entered ministry, I’ve been a member of a number of parishes in different places. If there’s one sad constant in every parish I’ve ever been connected with, it’s the tendency of the faithful to set up barricades to those who are not part of the group. It happens on a small scale, and it happens on a large scale.
For example, in one parish the charter members—those present at its founding in the 1950s—closed their minds and their doors to the new immigrants to the neighborhood. Their parish was slowly dying. As the oldtimers drifted off to live with children and grandchildren or found their way to retirement villages in the suburbs, the parishioners could have welcomed the new settlers into the community. That, however, would have meant it would no longer be a “Polish” parish. Their identity as Catholics was for them inextricably tied to their ethnic heritage, and they could not see beyond their tradition.
In another parish the doors and minds were closed because the pastor was living in a pre-Vatican II reality of his own. Women were not allowed inside the communion rail—and he religiously maintained that rail, along with many other accouterments from the good old days. The homilies reeked of hellfire and brimstone. He frowned often, and when some parishioners were talking in the vestibule one day, he told them to leave if they couldn’t keep silence in church. They left.
One final example: in one parish a small group of fundamentalists—people who insisted that all adopt their personal, literalistic interpretation of scripture—tape-recorded the new pastor’s homilies and wrote scathing letters of condemnation to the bishop and the pope whenever he even implied a reading that varied from what they thought it should be. That pastor left after a year, and these fundamentalist parishioners continued their vigilante practices with each of the next six pastors the bishop sent in the following ten years.
When Jesus first called Peter to discipleship, he told him he would from that point on fish for souls, so when, in the post-resurrection appearance of today’s Gospel according to John, Jesus tells the disciples to cast their net elsewhere after a fruitless night of fishing, we know that the pericope is telling about more than a whopping business success. Something else is going on here. What is it about these fish?
The story begins with seven of Jesus’ disciples going fishing, led by Peter. They catch nothing, even though they stay out all night trying. Like parishioners who close their minds and the doors of their parishes, no matter how hard they try to attract fish, they are doomed to failure.
At dawn, a man on the shore calls out to them, in the way veteran fisherpeople have, asking if they have caught anything. They have not. How is it possible to catch anything without the Lord? How can we attract people to our “nets” if the Lord is not with us?
Then Jesus gives them instructions. Just as he spent his life showing the disciples how to live, so now he appears after the resurrection with tips on how to do their life work. He called them to fish for people, and so they must fish. But still they do not know how.
As they had always done, the disciples followed Jesus’ word, not even knowing it was Jesus who spoke to them. When they saw the large number of fish, they knew something was up. They remembered Jesus’ way of turning the tables on them, and so they recognized that they were about to learn another lesson from their Master.
The disciples, sans Peter, drag the laden net to shore. Peter has jumped into the water and rushed to meet Jesus. Now, when Jesus tells them to bring some of the fish they caught to the meal, Peter drags the net ashore with its 153 fish.
As scripture scholars tell us, 153 was the number of nations in the world at the time this Gospel was written, and it therefore signified that the whole world was in the net. Following Jesus’ word, the disciples have netted the entire world!
Next comes the lesson for us: Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. All our fears about who comes to our church are for naught. The net will not be torn.
God bless!
____________________________________________________________
