- 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.”(Jn21:1-19). Taken from today’s gospel for the 3rd Sunday of Easter.
- Jesus took his time after his resurrection to assure his followers that he is truly risen from the dead. He was patient with their unbelieving attitudes. Last Sunday he appeared to them, gave them power to forgive sins and sent them to announce the good news to the world. Today they went back to their former profession of fishermen instead of preparing themselves for the mission which they had received. In fact, they were becoming less interested in this Jesus and his mission which do not seem to guarantee their future. They preferred the assured life of fishermen.
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Jesus had to bring them back to the fact that they have a special call. They spent the whole night without catching a single fish. To refresh their minds on their vocation, Jesus repeated the same miracle through which he first called Peter and his colleagues, making them fishers of men. He made them to catch so many fish. He then served them breakfast. All these are done to prove to them that he was real. In this way it will be difficult for them to doubt the message of the encounter.
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Jesus used the same opportunity to reconfirm Peter as the leader of the apostolic college. He asked him thrice before the others to reaffirm his love for him above every other of the disciples. This was a sort of psychological healing for Peter who denied Jesus thrice during his passion. This encounter was very vital because after it, Peter and his colleagues became forever committed to their mission. Today’s first reading shows Peter affirming before the Jewish authority who masterminded the death of Jesus that he is truly alive and that no amount of threat can stop the disciples from letting the world know the truth about Jesus Christ who died for the salvation of the world.
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From the temptation to give up the mission of spreading the gospel in favour of the more assured profession of fishermen we see that nobody is above the temptation of abandoning the faith in God especially when faced with uncertainty about the future. It happened to Peter and his colleagues. It continues to happen to christians today. I have known great men of God who abandoned the faith to become pagans or atheists. The attitude of Jesus to the apostles at Sea of Tiberias should guide our attitudes towards the fallen brothers and sisters. We have to strive with patience to bring them back to the fold.
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You too could be tempted to go back to some of your former weaknesses and sin. It is just normal but you must not give in. When you are assailed with weakness and doubt, do not just follow the desires of your heart and take to fishing. Look for someone to help you out. Open up to one who is willing to help you to remain on the right track. You may not always have the privilege of Peter who benefited from the direct intervention of Jesus. But you have the advantage of knowing that like peter you can be tempted. When this happens, remember to stand your ground. ©Vita, 01/05/22.
Happy new month.
