By Rev. Fr. Sylvanus Ifeanyi Amaobi
(1st Reading, Acts 5:27-32,40-41; 2nd Reading, Rev. 5:11-14 ; Gospel, John 21:1-19)
My dear brothers and sisters, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).
RESURRECTION: A REALITY, NOT A FAIRY TALE.
The Lord has truly risen. Alleluia! Alleluia! He continues to appear to the apostles to prove that His resurrection was a reality, a fact, and not a fairy tale or a product of hallucination. In today's gospel reading (Jn. 21:1-19), we read yet another of His appearances to the disciples. This time, it was at the Sea of Tiberias where the disciples were fishing.
They had labored all night but caught nothing. He appeared to them and asked, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" And when they answered no, He said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat, and you will find something."
This was reminiscent of what Jesus did before their call to discipleship (cf. Lk. 5:4-6). And true to Jesus' words, they caught so much that they could not pull their net. At this, the disciple whom Jesus loved recognized that it was the Lord. Jesus is recognized and will always be recognized through his works and miraculous deeds.
DO YOU LOVE ME?
Another interesting aspect of today's gospel reading is Jesus' interaction with Peter. Jesus asked Simon Peter three times, "Do you love me more than these?" Three times, Peter professed his love for the Lord in these words: "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."
Peter's profession of love to the Lord was a big deal because earlier, before the crucifixion of our Lord, Peter had denied the Lord three times. There is a turnaround by Peter, which is a mark of repentance that every sinner should emulate. After Peter's professions of love, the Lord responded to him with these words, "Feed my Lambs," "Tend my sheep," and "Feed my sheep," respectively.
Jesus might pose a similar question to us: "Do you love me?" What would be our response, and how do we show Him that we love Him? He told Peter to feed and tend His flock. He might tell us a similar thing. But one might ask, how would Peter tend and feed the lamb and sheep of the Lord? How do we go about it ourselves? To answer this, we need to turn to the scripture for clues.
ANSWERING THE CALL TO FEED AND TEND THE FLOCK OF CHRIST
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Supposedly, Peter will feed the sheep (flock) of the Lord not only with physical bread but with spiritual bread, too, which is the Word of God. Commitment to this task of feeding the flock with the food of life (Word of God) is among the proof of Peter's love for the Master, Jesus Christ.
Peter and the rest of the apostles answered the call to feed and tend the flock of Christ. The episode in the first reading (Acts 5:27-41) clearly indicates their commitment to feeding the flock of the Lord. He and the apostles defiantly preached the Gospel despite orders from the Sanhedrin not to do so. They clearly showed us that obedience to God supersedes obedience to human authorities. Thus, they said, "We must obey God rather than men."
WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN
Like Peter and the Apostles, we are also enjoined to feed, tend, and shepherd the flock of the Lord with the authentic teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. There is no better time to embrace such a task and challenge than now. In an era where Truth Relativism, Secularism, Modernism, and Materialism hold sway over people, at a time when Government undue interference with Faith, Religion, and Religious Liberty is the order of the day, we should have the courage and boldness to say, "We must obey God rather than men."
To have such an act of courage and resolve is a committed and authentic witness. Of course, such a way of witnessing does not go without some suffering, which could be physical, emotional, or otherwise. May God give us the courage to be ardent witnesses in today's world, Amen.
Always remember that Jesus loves you.