Acts 5:27-32.40-41
Psalm 29
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
Reflections
We take
in a breath of
fresh air, a sense of universality, of mission to the world. The third
encounter of the Risen Lord with a group of his 
disciples (Gospel)
does
not take place in the Cenacle of Jerusalem, with closed doors, but in
the open,
on the shore of the lake of
Galilee,
on a springtime morning. The event of that after-Easter miraculous
catch and
the mission which Christ entrusts to Peter are told in a language that
resembles
a mystical experience, rich in symbolism
and expressing
deep affection. In this way it is possible to pick out
the
message as a whole: the weekday going back to fishing, the
number of seven
fishermen, the sea, the action of fishing, the
fruitless night,
the dawn, the Lord on the shore, the abundant
catch, the fire
for breakfast, the meal; and then the mission entrusted
to Peter
with its surprising test on love, the threefold handing over of
the flock,
the commitment to follow him till death...
The mystical symbolism
enriches the event and confers on it a fuller and universal
understanding.
For instance, if the sea symbolises unfavourable enemy forces
to man, to
fish and to be made fisher of men
(Mc 1:17) means to become free
from situations of death, and fishing becomes a symbol of
apostolic
mission. The success of such a mission, though perilous, can be seen in
the
“153 large fish” (v. 11). We may underline two of the many
interpretations of
this number: first of all the mathematical preciseness of an
eyewitness;
secondly the symbolism of “50x3+3”, where the number 50
is the
symbol of the entirety of the people and 3 designates perfection. No
fish
escapes. The meal, to which the disciples are invited by Jesus,
reminds
us of the conclusion of salvation history, while in the threefold
missionary handing over, Peter becomes the shepherd
of the entire flock.
The various apparitions
of the Risen Lord may be divided into two groups: apparitions of
recognition, in which Jesus wishes above all to be acknowledged
as
‘living’, and the apparitions of mission, in which Jesus
gives
clear orders of either immediate implementation (go to tell...) or of a
far-ranging period (go to the peoples of all nations and make them my
disciples...).
In this way, the universal importance of the event of the
‘resurrection’
becomes gradually clear to the disciples: The Risen Lord (I Reading)
is
the “leader and saviour” of all peoples (Ac 5:31) and that this Good
News has
to be announced to all and everywhere, obeying God rather than people!
(v. 29).
The disciples begin straight away to bear witness to all the
events
(v. 32), with courage and “happy to have been considered worthy to suffer
humiliation for the sake of Jesus” (v. 41). (*)
To Him, the Lamb that was sacrificed (II
Reading), all creatures
of heaven and earth are called to give honour and glory (Rev. 12-13).
The Risen Lord’s
experience goes beyond the initial apparitions (Gospel): it
extends to
the ability of recognising the true and effective presence of
the Lord in
the ordinariness of day-to-day life. “Jesus is recognised
through his
gestures: one extraordinary (the miraculous catch) and the others very
simple
and familiar. He has prepared some bread and fish and lovingly invites
them to
eat. He takes the bread and gives it to them and does the same with the
fish,
as he had done so many times before. It seems that Jesus, instead of
revealing
all his glory, has desired to prepare the disciples to his mysterious
presence,
which after the resurrection is a universal presence:
now Jesus
is everywhere, in a divine manner, but also with his identical
humanity... The
Christians are invited to look for a divine glory that is not simply
exterior;
they are invited to recognise Jesus in their brothers and sisters...
to recognise Jesus who is present in the poorest, in the most humble
and needy:
that’s where the Christians must recognise his glory, the hidden glory
of their
Lord and the power of his divine action that performs miracles through
humble
and simple means” (Albert Vanhoye).
Faith in the Risen Lord
challenges us to experience the day-to-day life
of risen people in
the everyday concrete choices, made in faith and love. It is a full
life that has
a twofold kind of attitudes: gratefulness towards God and a missionary
commitment towards others, sowing everywhere
life, hope, mercy,
reconciliation, joy… in various circumstances, areas, moments and way
of
expressing it.
The
Pope’s
words
(*) «This
gladness is different from entertainment and from the outward happiness
that
modern society seeks for itself. Entertainment is only a small part of
our
lives, and when it tries to be the whole, it becomes a mask behind
which
despair lurks, or at least doubt. The gladness that comes to us from
Christ is
different. It gives us the capacity to suffer and, in suffering, to
remain
nevertheless profoundly glad. It
gives us the capacity to share the
suffering of others. The Apostles “rejoiced that they were counted
worthy
to suffer dishonour for the name of Jesus” (Acts 5:41). The joy of the
martyrs
was stronger than the torments inflicted on them. This joy was
ultimately
victorious and opened the gates of history for Christ».
Benedict
XVI
Homily
during
the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, 01.04.2010
In
the
footsteps of the Missionaries
-
18/4:
Anniversary of the opening of the 1st African-Asian
Conference in
Bandung (Indonesia, 1955), for the independence and identity of the
Third World
Countries.
-
19/4: Bl.
James Duckett (+1602), a married layman, imprisoned for 9 years and
killed in
London under the reign of Elisabeth I, for having sold Catholic books.
Around
this time we remember many other Catholics martyred in England under
the same
queen or other kings.
-
19/4:
Anniversary of the Election of Pope Benedict XVI (2005).
-
20/4: St.
Marcellinus (+374), bishop. Born in Africa, he was an enthusiastic
evangeliser
in southern France, together with his two companions Vincent and Domino.
-
21/4: In 1957
Pius XII published the missionary encyclical Fidei Donum,
on the situation of the Catholic missions, especially
in Africa.
-
23/4: St.
George (IV C, in Palestine), popular saint for his battle against the
dragon;
martyr venerated from ancient times in the Oriental and Western
Churches.
-
23/4: St.
Adalbert (Vojtech), bishop of Prague and martyr (956-997), a courageous
missionary of Poland and of Slav people.
- 24/4: St.
Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1578-1622), German
Capuchin priest and missionary, killed in Grüsch
(Switzerland), proto-martyr of the Congregation for
the Propagation of the Faith (founded in 1622) and of the newly founded
Capuchin Order.
