Click: (Readings for the Third Sunday of Easter)
The Apostles were again back to where they were before: fishing. But all of them there, especially Peter, will be reminded by the Risen Lord of the mission He called them for: being fishers of men. The miracle of the bountiful catch in today's Gospel must have reminded Peter of how he met the Lord. He and all the other disciples have been through a lot with the Lord. Peter, most especially, have been shown to have a wavering faith - strong now, then weak the next time. Everything, including his calling and his denial of Jesus, is probably coming back to him in today's Gospel story.
The beloved disciple also makes an inspiring remark in today's narrative: "It is the Lord!" He was the first to believe when He saw the empty tomb. Now he is the first to recognize Jesus. He recognized Jesus whom He saw on the cross. He recognized Jesus whom he saw die and pierced with a lance. The Apostle who witnessed the Lord's Passion and Death becomes the Apostle who first believed and recognized the Lord.
The Apostles' encounter with the Lord, their closeness to Him ever since they were called, and even their moments of failure in keeping the faith become their source of strength in their apostolic ministry. Jesus gives Peter the command, "Feed my sheep" thrice, after Peter professes his love for Him thrice. Peter's love for the Lord becomes a "making-up" for the three times that he denied him before; Jesus asks Him now to extend to others this love he has for Him, not just as their brother, but as their shepherd.
The Apostles, with Peter as pope, became the shepherds of the Church which sprung from Christ's side as He was hanging on the cross. They truly became "fishers of men". Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost converted more than three thousand people. The Apostles' preaching reached many nations.
As shepherds, it was their duty to feed the Lord's flock. They are to nourish them with instruction in the faith, with a faithful witnessing of their encounter with Jesus and of His Words, with the celebration of the sacraments, especially of the Most Holy Eucharist in which Jesus is fed to us, and with exhortations on Christian life and prayer. Even to this day, the successor of Peter and of the Apostles continue to nourish us, bringing us the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and teaching us about faith and morals.
As Catholic faithful, as sheep of our Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we must heed the voice of our shepherds here on earth. Our pope, bishops and priests are commissioned by Christ to tend us and to feed us. We must humbly accept their instruction even as we strive to form our own consciences.
The Lord, in our Gospel today also foretells Peter's martyrdom. True enough, being servants of the Lord would mean having to face persecution and rejection. The First Reading today gives us a glimpse of how Peter and the Apostles were persecuted. There we see Peter with a faith strengthened by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming Jesus even amidst persecution. This is far from the Peter who denied Jesus thrice. Peter became brave because he had to feed the lamb. He had to proclaim the Word to those who hunger for it. He had to proclaim the name of Jesus and the salvation He has brought about. He was ordered to feed Jesus' sheep; he had to "obey God rather than men", even though these men (the Sanhedrin) threatened them.
Christians are indeed no strangers to suffering and persecution. The martyrs who have shown obedience to God even under the threat of death join in the suffering of Christ who was "obedient unto death" and they give witness to Jesus' Paschal Mystery. We too can offer our sufferings and unite them with Christ's, especially in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Suffering for the sake of Jesus' name, for the sake of obeying God's commands is a way of witnessing to Jesus to the people around us.
When we think about it, like Peter, we also have "sheep" entrusted to us. We have our family, the people around us, friends and colleagues or people directly under our care. What do they get when they interact with us? Do we exude negative things like apathy and selfishness? Or do we "feed" them with the Word of God at work in our lives? We might not all be preachers, but we must all be witnesses to the people around us by our words and deeds. We might not be all bishops and priests commissioned to "feed sheep", but we are all Christians mandated to "love one another".
The Apostles' encounter with the Lord, their closeness to Him ever since they were called, and even their moments of failure in keeping the faith become their source of strength in their apostolic ministry. Jesus gives Peter the command, "Feed my sheep" thrice, after Peter professes his love for Him thrice. Peter's love for the Lord becomes a "making-up" for the three times that he denied him before; Jesus asks Him now to extend to others this love he has for Him, not just as their brother, but as their shepherd.
The Apostles, with Peter as pope, became the shepherds of the Church which sprung from Christ's side as He was hanging on the cross. They truly became "fishers of men". Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost converted more than three thousand people. The Apostles' preaching reached many nations.
As shepherds, it was their duty to feed the Lord's flock. They are to nourish them with instruction in the faith, with a faithful witnessing of their encounter with Jesus and of His Words, with the celebration of the sacraments, especially of the Most Holy Eucharist in which Jesus is fed to us, and with exhortations on Christian life and prayer. Even to this day, the successor of Peter and of the Apostles continue to nourish us, bringing us the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and teaching us about faith and morals.
As Catholic faithful, as sheep of our Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we must heed the voice of our shepherds here on earth. Our pope, bishops and priests are commissioned by Christ to tend us and to feed us. We must humbly accept their instruction even as we strive to form our own consciences.
The Lord, in our Gospel today also foretells Peter's martyrdom. True enough, being servants of the Lord would mean having to face persecution and rejection. The First Reading today gives us a glimpse of how Peter and the Apostles were persecuted. There we see Peter with a faith strengthened by the Holy Spirit, proclaiming Jesus even amidst persecution. This is far from the Peter who denied Jesus thrice. Peter became brave because he had to feed the lamb. He had to proclaim the Word to those who hunger for it. He had to proclaim the name of Jesus and the salvation He has brought about. He was ordered to feed Jesus' sheep; he had to "obey God rather than men", even though these men (the Sanhedrin) threatened them.
Christians are indeed no strangers to suffering and persecution. The martyrs who have shown obedience to God even under the threat of death join in the suffering of Christ who was "obedient unto death" and they give witness to Jesus' Paschal Mystery. We too can offer our sufferings and unite them with Christ's, especially in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Suffering for the sake of Jesus' name, for the sake of obeying God's commands is a way of witnessing to Jesus to the people around us.
When we think about it, like Peter, we also have "sheep" entrusted to us. We have our family, the people around us, friends and colleagues or people directly under our care. What do they get when they interact with us? Do we exude negative things like apathy and selfishness? Or do we "feed" them with the Word of God at work in our lives? We might not all be preachers, but we must all be witnesses to the people around us by our words and deeds. We might not be all bishops and priests commissioned to "feed sheep", but we are all Christians mandated to "love one another".
