APRIL 14^th 2013. THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER

Gospel: John 21: 1-19

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

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Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

GOSPEL                   John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing'. They replied, 'We'll come with you'. They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, 'Have you caught anything, friends?' And when they answered, 'No', he said, 'Throw the net out to starboard and you'll find something'. So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord'. At these words 'It is the Lord', Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, 'Bring some of the fish you have just caught'. Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, 'Come and have breakfast'. None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, 'Who are you?'; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?' He answered, 'Yes Lord, you know I love you'. Jesus said to him, 'Feed my lambs'. A second time he said to him, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' He replied, 'Yes, Lord, you know I love you'. Jesus said to him, 'Look after my sheep'. Then he said to him a third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and said, 'Lord, you know everything; you know I love you'. Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.

'I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.'

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, 'Follow me'.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

Don Fabio tells us that this is NOT a Gospel of two separate parts. Both parts belong inseparably together and they tell the story of the renewed call of Peter. At the beginning of the passage, Peter goes back fishing. He returns to his old ways of doing things, his old profession - a way of life in which he relied totally on himself. But he fails to catch anything. Then Jesus appears, tells Peter what to do, and suddenly Peter catches so many fish that he can hardly draw in the nets. In the second part, Jesus asks Peter three times if he really loves him more than he loves other things. The point is that Peter went back fishing because he was still attached to the “old things”. It is only when we love Jesus above all other things that we become true disciples. When Peter replies “Yes” to the questions that were put to him, Jesus tells Peter that “he will stretch out his hands, and somebody else will put a belt round him and take him where he would rather not go”. This is a clear reference to the Cross. In other words, once we learn to love Jesus above all other things, leaving the old ways behind us, then we become true disciples, capable of embracing the Cross. This Gospel is a reminder to the Church, and to all of us, that we must keep our focus on the risen Lord, and to resist the temptation of falling back into our old ways and reliance on our own capacities.

This is not a Gospel of two parts, but a story that must be read as an integral whole

If we read the long version of the Gospel for this Sunday, then it seems that it is divided into two distinct parts. The first part tells of the miraculous catch of one hundred and fifty three large fish, whilst the second relates the pained profession of love for Jesus on the part of Peter. But the two parts in fact form an integral whole. When the Gospel is read in its entirety, then we see that it recounts the story of a renewed call of Peter, who has decided to return to his old ways. At the end of the Gospel, Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me more than these?" This phrase has always been translated to mean "these others". In other words, the text is interpreted as a call on Peter to love the Lord more than the other disciples love him. But the terms "others" in the original Greek can equally refer to things and not to people. This means that the passage can justifiably be interpreted to represent a call on Peter to love the Lord more than material things. Which interpretation is the correct one? If we argue that the Lord is challenging Peter to love him more than the other disciples do, then this raises a question about how to understand other elements of John's Gospel. Elsewhere in the Gospel, John is the one who is presented as the disciple who has the closest relationship with the Lord. Is Jesus challenging Peter to love him as much as John loves him? Perhaps, but it is also a worthwhile exercise to interpret “these others” as referring to “these other things”. In the text, in fact, we see that Jesus’ enigmatic question follows his request for Peter to bring some of the fish that he has just caught.

Peter goes back fishing. He goes back to the old life he led before meeting Jesus

At the beginning of the passage, Peter goes back fishing. He returns to his old ways. He goes back to the things he used to do before he ever encountered the Lord. He discovers, however, that these old ways are not very productive. He doesn’t manage to catch anything. Jesus appears on the shore, but Peter does not recognize him. This passage is a passage that has the theme of recognition at its core. Through the miraculous catch of fish, and with the help of the beloved disciple (who exclaims, “It is the Lord!”), Peter recognizes Jesus. The beloved disciple is presented as the one who is always one step ahead of Peter, helping him along, as when they arrived at the empty tomb and Peter was allowed by John to enter first. Even at the scene of Peter’s denial of Jesus, it was the beloved disciple who gained access for Peter to the courtyard during Jesus’ trial. Having recognized Jesus, they take the haul of fish on to land and eat with the Lord. At this point Jesus asks, “Do you love me more than these things?” In other words, do you love me more than the boat, the nets, the fish, all of the things you left in order to follow me? You left these things aside to follow me, and now you are returning to your old ways!

Falling back into our old ways is an ever-present danger for each of us

This is a story of rediscovery of the Risen Lord. Peter has experienced the Risen Lord already, but this experience is being drowned out by his return to his old ways. This is an ever-present danger to the Church! The Twenty-First Chapter of John’s Gospel, in fact, offers us a perspective on the Church in its moments of difficulty, at the times when it doesn’t catch any fish, at the times that it loses sight of its vocation and tries to rely on its own internal dynamics to keep itself going. But the Church is nothing without its Spouse, and the call on the Church must be renewed continually. Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me more?” Jesus is the one who must be loved above all else. It is only when Peter loves Jesus above all else that he returns to the full state of being a disciple. This bountiful catch of fish must be abandoned and Peter is called by Jesus to follow him. He must love Jesus more than all else and he must follow him. The call on Peter is made three times because Peter denied the Lord three times. Peter must be brought to full awareness of his deficiencies. He must be brought to the realisation that he was not called in the first place because he was worthy. In Chapter Thirteen he had declared that he would lay down his life for Jesus. But before he can attain the capacity to lay down his life for Jesus, he must be brought to a state where he begins to love Jesus more than other things. Once he begins to love Jesus in this way, then he becomes capable of following the Lord right to the end.

Once we learn to love Jesus above all things, then we become true disciples capable of following Jesus in the way of the Cross

The vocation to follow the Lord is expressed in the statement, “I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old, mature, an adult, you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.” The change in Peter is a change in his very being. In the beginning he is represented in an infantile, immature state, in which he dresses himself as he likes and goes where he likes. This state is transformed when he is loved by the Lord despite his weaknesses and faults, and he comes to the understanding that Jesus is worth more than any other thing. Once he comes to this understanding, then he realizes that it is no longer necessary to keep his old profession in reserve just in case things go wrong with his vocation to follow the Lord. At the start of this Gospel passage, he seemed to be returning to his old ways in exactly this manner. When Peter finally takes the step and enters into an adult way of life, then he “will stretch out his hands and somebody else will dress you and take you where you would rather not go”. This is a clear reference to Peter’s newfound capacity to follow Jesus in embracing the Cross.

Let us summarize our reading of the passage. Viewed globally, this text is the story of how the Church must constantly re-possess the Resurrection of the Lord. As Christians we all have powerful and beautiful experiences of the Risen Lord, but there is a constant temptation to lose sight of the Lord and to return to our old ways, to a reliance on our own capacities and our old patterns of behaviour. We must learn to constantly cast our nets in a new and different way. We must continually and habitually re-learn to love the Lord above all else, and this requires renunciation of other things, the things of this world. At this point – the point where we love Jesus above all else - we become adults; we become capable of loving the Lord more than our own lives; we attain the capacity to become true disciples.