The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today urge us to contemplate the keystone that supports our fullness of life and prepares us to respond to our role as fishers of people.
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the testimony of Peter and John before the Council.
* [4:1] The priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees: the priests performed the temple liturgy; the temple guard was composed of Levites, whose captain ranked next after the high priest. The Sadducees, a party within Judaism at this time, rejected those doctrines, including bodily resurrection, which they believed alien to the ancient Mosaic religion. The Sadducees were drawn from priestly families and from the lay aristocracy.
* [4:11] Early Christianity applied this citation from Ps 118:22 to Jesus; cf. Mk 12:10; 1 Pt 2:7. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 118 is a Song of Victory.
* [Psalm 118] A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18). Then follows a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist as the latter enters to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice (Ps 118:19–25). Finally, the priests impart their blessing (Ps 118:26–27), and the psalmist sings in gratitude (Ps 118:28–29).
* [118:22] The stone the builders rejected: a proverb: what is insignificant to human beings has become great through divine election. The “stone” may originally have meant the foundation stone or capstone of the Temple. The New Testament interpreted the verse as referring to the death and resurrection of Christ (Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; cf. Is 28:16 and Rom 9:33; 1 Pt 2:7). (Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples.
* [21:2] Zebedee’s sons: the only reference to James and John in this gospel (but see note on Jn 1:37). Perhaps the phrase was originally a gloss to identify, among the five, the two others of his disciples. The anonymity of the latter phrase is more Johannine (Jn 1:35). The total of seven may suggest the community of the disciples in its fullness.
* [21:3–6] This may be a variant of Luke’s account of the catch of fish; see note on Lk 5:1–11.
* [21:9, 12–13] It is strange that Jesus already has fish since none have yet been brought ashore. This meal may have had eucharistic significance for early Christians since Jn 21:13 recalls Jn 6:11 which uses the vocabulary of Jesus’ action at the Last Supper; but see also note on Mt 14:19.
* [21:11] The exact number 153 is probably meant to have a symbolic meaning in relation to the apostles’ universal mission; Jerome claims that Greek zoologists catalogued 153 species of fish. Or 153 is the sum of the numbers from 1 to 17. Others invoke Ez 47:10.
* [21:12] None…dared to ask him: is Jesus’ appearance strange to them? Cf. Lk 24:16; Mk 16:12; Jn 20:14. The disciples do, however, recognize Jesus before the breaking of the bread (opposed to Lk 24:35).
* [21:14] This verse connects Jn 20 and 21; cf. Jn 20:19, 26. (John, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries was not available at publication time.
Don Schwager quotes “Resurrected Bodies,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The bodies of the righteous at the resurrection will need neither any fruit to preserve them from dying of disease or the wasting decay of old age nor any bodily nourishment to prevent hunger and thirst. For they will be endowed with such a sure and inviolable gift of immortality that they will not eat because they have to, but only if they want to. Not the power but the necessity of eating and drinking shall be taken away from them... just like our Savior after his resurrection took meat and drink with his disciples, with spiritual but still real flesh, not for the sake of nourishment, but in an exercise of his power." (excerpt from City of God 13.22) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 21:1-14 comments that when Peter looked at his past, he saw his failures and sins, and that made his hope waver. But Jesus saw a much bigger picture. He hadn’t forgotten Peter’s yes three years before. His call for Peter remained. That’s because he is the God who never gives up. And he won’t give up on us.
You may not have miraculous signposts pointing to pivotal moments in your relationship with the Lord. But even those small moments when Jesus called you, brought you into deeper relationship with him, or set you off on a new phase of life can be heavenly reminders of his love. Let him reassure you that, even if you have stumbled over the years, he hasn’t forgotten your yes to him. He is always ready to welcome you back. Let that assurance prepare and inspire you, like Peter, to reaffirm your love for Jesus and your willingness to follow him wherever he leads.
“Jesus, thank you that you never give up on me!” (Meditation on John 21:1-14, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler notes that in the passage from Acts, Peter and John are questioned by the Sadducees, who don’t believe in resurrection. Chapter 21 of John’s Gospel was a later addition to address the role of the hierarchy and fate of the Beloved Disciple. The contrast between “Dufus Peter” and the Beloved Disciple is continued. Friar Jude reminds us of the connection of “bread and fish” to the Eucharistic meal and our mission to share God’s love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how it’s possible to experience resurrection before we die. We don’t need to wait for death to experience resurrection. We can begin resurrection today by living connected to God. Resurrection happens every time we love someone even though they were not very loving to us. At that moment we have been brought to new life. Every time we decide to trust and begin again, even after repeated failures, at that moment we’ve been resurrected. Every time we refuse to become negative, cynical, hopeless, we have experienced the Risen Christ. We don’t have to wait for it later. Resurrection is always possible now.
The resurrection is not a miracle story to prove the divinity of Christ, something that makes him the winner. It’s a storyline that allows us all to be winners. ALL! No exceptions! There’s no eternal death for anybody: ALL are invited to draw upon this infinite Source, this infinite Mystery, this infinite Love, this infinite Possibility. Spiritually speaking, we live in a world of abundance, of infinity. But most of us walk around as if it were not true, operating in a world of scarcity where there’s never enough. There’s not enough for me, there’s not enough for you, there’s not enough for everybody. (Rohr, n.d.)
We understand the impulse for Peter and the disciples to return to simpler familiar times and routine after their Easter experience and we seek the help of the Spirit to revitalize our mission as Jesus physical agents in our environment.
References
Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/4?1
John, CHAPTER 21 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/21?1
Meditation on John 21:1-14. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/05/930714/
Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/118?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Resurrection through Connection. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/resurrection-through-connection/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Revealed Himself Again to the Disciples. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 5, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr5
No comments:
Post a Comment