Homily for the week of April 18, 2010

Third Sunday of Easter, 2010 year C

Acts 5:27-32

Rev 5:11-14

John 21: 1-19

Some 600 years ago before Jesus was born a great Chinese philosopher said: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. These are profound words between giving and feeding and teaching, words that many of us as leaders and parents and teachers would do well to follow.

But as Christians we can do far more. Jesus was not only the teacher but showed us the way. He is known as the way, the truth and the life. When we look for an example of giving and feeding and teaching, Jesus is far above any one else. In today's Gospel John paints a detailed and beautiful portrait of the Risen Jesus who over and over again gives and feeds and teaches. We do well to look at that example of Jesus and then try to imitate it ourselves.

Today's gospel begins with a very ordinary scene of the disciples fishing. Peter had taken the lead when he announced I am going fishing. Not wanting to be left behind six of the other disciples follow Peter and also get into the boat. But it was a poor night fishing. The fish either were not biting or they just did not have the right bait. Or maybe as I have fishermen say: The wind was from the east when the fish bite the least, or not from the west when the fish bite the best. Or maybe they just did not want to go fishing. They may have spent most of the time talking about how Jesus had left them.

For whatever reason, the morning comes and there are no fish. Then the Risen Jesus appears on the shore. Have you caught anything to eat, he asks them. Maybe Jesus could have taught them how to fish, if that was the problem. But Jesus had his mind on something else. He had in his mind another way of giving and feeding and teaching. It was a way that not only gives food for one day, but food for a lifetime. So Jesus simply says: Cast your net over the right side of the boat and you will find something. He did not give them any secret bait, but words that paint a picture of Jesus who always gives in abundance.

The disciples catch more fish than they can pulling, but it is only then that John realizes that it is the Risen Jesus who is standing on the shore. Peter gets excited and jumps the boat and swims to the shore. The others stay in the boat. They catch so many fish that they have to drag the net without the help of Peter.

But more takes place. On the surface it is merely a meal. Jesus makes breakfast for his disciples. He feeds them fish and bread. But there is more here than Jesus just giving food for the day. Certainly, that meal on the shore reminds us of the meal at the Last Supper on the day before his death on the cross. At that meal he gave them himself and taught them to Do this in memory of me. So this meal on the shore does remind us of the Mass we now celebrate where Jesus at once gives and feeds and teaches us. At this Mass Jesus gives himself food for the day, food for a lifetime, food for everlasting life.

But now turn from Jesus to ourselves. We can be part of the example of Jesus. We can do this by taking Peter's place during the private conversation with Jesus at the end of today's reading. Do you love me? Jesus asks us, just the same as he asks Peter. And if our response is yes, it represents the Amen that we say when we receive communion and say Amen. And so receiving communion requires us to do as Jesus told Peter: to feed and to take care of others.

And then Jesus tells Peter: Follow me. We saw in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles that Peter was no longer fishing but he was leading others to Jesus. Peter teaches in the name of Jesus.

We too must be like Peter. Our life in Jesus requires us to share that life with others. How do we do this? It can be in small ways like saying something kind to others, or not saying something critical of others, an apology, a smile. Often we can struggle we our following of Jesus. At times we can feel joy and happiness in it; at other times we might find it a burden. Whatever we try to do to follow Jesus, we must believe that Jesus will give us all we need to do what we have to do, even forgiveness when necessary.