May 5^th 2019.  Third Sunday of Easter

GOSPEL   John 21:1-19

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

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

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GOSPEL   John 21:1-19

At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
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.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
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.
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.
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.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
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.
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.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
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."
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."
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.
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."
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."

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

Kieran’s summary . . . The disciples have gone back fishing but they are catching nothing. Isn’t this often true in the life of the Church? How often we seem to be doing nothing, having no results, going nowhere! Why does that happen? Because we take our eyes off the risen Lord! When Jesus appears and tells the disciples to throw the nets in a new direction, then a bountiful catch results. It is when we cease depending on our own egos and become attentive to the word of the Lord, that our lives become fruitful. But that is not all that happens in this Gospel. Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. Thus he leads Peter through a process of correction and healing for the threefold denial at the Passion. In fact, at the beginning of this Gospel, Peter was behaving just as he had during the Passion! He said, “I’m going fishing!” It is the old impetuous Peter who is following his own will. Jesus calls Peter to stop relying on himself and instead allow himself to “stretch out his hands and be led where he does not want to go”. In fact, the last line of this passage is, “Follow me!” This lesson is for all Christians. It is only when we cease to rely on ourselves and follow the Lord that our lives begin to bear fruit.

The apostles seem lost. They have gone back fishing but they are catching nothing. The Church often seems to be ineffective? Why? Because we fail to keep our eyes on the risen Christ.

The twenty-first chapter of John’s Gospel narrates the situation of the Church after the Resurrection of Christ in a symbolic and profound way. Simon Peter goes fishing with his brothers, but things do not go well and they catch nothing. In every age of history, there are times when the Church is ineffective, misunderstood and apparently lost. But why? The text deals precisely with this question, telling of an occasion when the risen Lord appears but is not recognized. The disciples’ failure to recognize him is not because of his inaccessibility but rather their own obtuseness: they fail to notice that Jesus is present.

Then the Lord enters the scene and gives them an instruction to do something new

Then the Lord bursts in with a question: "Children, do you have nothing to eat?" This forces them to recognize that things are not going well. Having obtained the admission of their own bankruptcy, he supplies the solution: "Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find something". Behind this instruction there is a depth of meaning - as always in John’s Gospel - but at the basic level there is simply the indication to fish in a new way, according to the word of an Other, not depending simply on one's own initiative, as appears in the opening sentence of Peter – “I’m going fishing”. Following the instructions of this stranger, things start to work all of a sudden. The disciples go from a poor catch to bountiful results. This is what happened in the early Church when the disciples ceased to focus their efforts only on the children of Abraham and opened up to the pagan multitudes. The nets of the Church thus experienced a bountiful catch as crowds of Gentiles entered the legacy of the Messiah of Israel. All of this happened because Peter and his brothers stopped fishing in the old way and began to do something new. In the Gospel passage, the miraculous catch is followed by a shared meal, which represents the rediscovered intimacy with the Lord. It is an image of the Eucharistic liturgy where we truly encounter the Risen One.

Peter is led by the Lord through a process of healing and correction. It is only when we cease depending on our own egos that we bear fruit. It is only when we case our nets according to the instruction of the Lord that we can hope for a bountiful catch

But this intimacy with the Lord is not enough by itself. The Church must also be liberated from error. The Church is always in need of healing.  Peter is now asked three times to declare his love to the Lord because he had denied him three times. During this narrative we see the sadness of Peter. This sadness is the necessary and painful liberation from the mistake that he made, a consequence of the unacceptable attitude that led him to his betrayal. In fact, at the beginning of this Gospel passage, Peter had actually repeated his previous mistake: he had started on his own initiative - "I'm going fishing" - similar to his impetuous assertion before the Passion, "I'll give my life for you!" This is precisely the point: Peter will only give his life for Christ when he has learned not to rely on himself, but to cast the nets according to the word of his Lord, to live by letting himself be carried where he does not want to go. Previously, Peter had been enslaved by his own ego; now he has put on a new garment and is finally following Jesus. This is a fundamental lesson for all Christians: as long as our own will remains our starting point, the results will be ridiculous, like those empty nets. It is essential that our “fishing” is driven by attentiveness to His word, with a constant awareness of our own weakness and failures. Only then do we begin seriously to follow the Lord. And only then will we bear fruit.