The Holy Gospel according to John (21:1-14)
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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection: The Scripture readings during the Octave of Easter are all about the resurrected Jesus revealing Himself to his disciples. Today’s Gospel is a resurrection story unique to John’s Gospel. After His resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. The disciples had gone back to their former way of life, fishing, perhaps because they did not know what else to do. They had seen the risen Lord, but they were still uncertain about what came next. So, they returned to what was familiar.
They fished all night and caught nothing.
At dawn, Jesus stood on the shore and at first, they did not recognize Him. Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. Suddenly they caught so many fish they could not haul them in. This miracle opened the eyes of the disciples. The beloved disciple said, “It is the Lord!” When Peter hears that it is Jesus, he jumps into the water and rushed toward Him. Peter denied Jesus 3 times, yet he still longs to be near Him.
This Gospel tells us a few of things. First, the disciples fished all night and caught nothing. This reminds us that without Jesus, even our best efforts can leave us empty. We can work hard, make plans, and try to solve life problems on our own, but if Jesus is not at the center, we often get tired and discouraged.
Second, how often do we fail to recognize Jesus’ presence in our lives? He may come through a kind word, a friend, a prayer, or a quiet moment of sacred silence. We are often focused on our worries and problems to see that He is with us.
Third, even though Peter denied Jesus 3 times, he still longed to be with him. Jesus does not push us away because of our failures and sins. Jesus invites us back and waits for us with mercy, compassion and love.
Jesus simple act of cooking breakfast for them, shows His tenderness and care. The Risen Christ is not distant from us. He still physically and spiritually feeds us with the Eucharist, His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
Action for the Day: In today’s Gospel, we hear how Peter, after recognizing the Lord, jumped into the sea and ran towards Jesus. How has Jesus revealed himself to us? When we recognize Jesus, do we respond by running to him like Peter? Pray for the grace to recognize those moments during our day and then thank God when we do.
Audio Reflection:
