From my Heart…
I want to offer a hearty congratulations to over 70 teens who received the Sacrament of Confirmation last weekend. One of our new Auxiliary Bishops, Robert Casey, was here with us to celebrate and, as always, when I point out to the Bishop that five of the newly Confirmed give the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass, I do so with particular pride. Eucharistic Ministers must be Confirmed, so the fact that these young people are so eager to share Communion, they do so literally minutes after they receive the Sacrament.
Many, many thanks to our Teen Faith department under Dr. Peg Hanrahan’s direction; to Grant Guthrie and Amy Hodson, our Associate Directors; to the catechists, sponsors and parents who all worked together in the formation of our teens, and all at the celebration of the Sacrament. Thanks to Gene Garcia for leading such prayerful music, and our staff for welcoming so many to join us in prayer.
This Saturday and next we will celebrate First Communion. Once again, Dr. Peg has provided great direction along with our Principal, Kate O’Brien, Marta Robak and Laura Ferlita from our Family Faith office, Academy teachers, Faith catechists and parents who have all collaborated in preparing and celebrating with our youngsters as they receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist for the first time. Please join me in praying for those blessed with God’s grace in both of these Sacraments.
Easter revelations of the Risen Christ…
At the beginning of this weekend’s Gospel from John, Peter announces that he is going fishing. Seriously Peter!! After everything that you and the disciples have just been through—being called by Jesus, following him, witnessing his miracles, sharing his story, being immersed in his love, celebrating Passover, being taught about service through washing feet, being with Jesus as he instituted the Eucharist, giving you and all his REAL presence for the rest of time, betraying him, being forgiven by him, living through his brutal suffering and crucifixion, witnessing his Resurrection—seriously Peter, you are going back to fishing?
This seems like such a giant step backwards and a statement of a man returning to a ‘normal’ life, or a former life, after having the greatest opportunity to be transformed by an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, one that is far from ‘normal.’
Yet Peter is obviously a leader and the other disciples follow him back to that former way of life. We will go back with you they seem to be saying. We will return to something we used to know.
You would have thought that Easter had broken through, not only the locked doors of the place the disciples were staying, but through the locked doors of their hearts. You would have thought that the disciples would be so inspired by the new life of the Lord’s Resurrection that they would be poised for a completely new life ahead, and a future filled with ministry and radical change. Instead, they return to fishing?
As the story progresses we hear of a repeat performance by Jesus. These disciples, returning to their former work, catch nothing. Seemingly they have not been transformed by the risen Christ at all, so Jesus instructs them. They follow his command and the result is that abundance replaces nil.
To acknowledge the humanity of the early disciples, they, like all of us, fail to recognize the Lord in our midst, and that his direction should always guide us. They begin to recognize him in the breaking of bread and sharing of fish that they have just caught. The text tells us that this is the third time Jesus revealed himself to the disciples. A spiritual spin on the number three leads us to see that first, there is a beginning of our recognition of Jesus; secondly, there is a next step; and finally, the eternal or lasting recognition. This revelation of Jesus could be the eternal one and the disciples finally recognize the fullness of Jesus. The locked doors of their grief and sorrow, their desire to return to fishing perhaps now has been replaced by the true belief in the Lord who has beaten suffering and death.
Jesus relies on the spiritual number three again though in asking Peter for love, not once or twice, but three times. Perhaps Jesus wants to emphasize the eternal nature of his loving presence to Peter and to us. I believe that Jesus wanted to be sure that Peter does not go back to fishing so he concludes this passage by saying again, “Follow Me.” Let us join Peter in following the Lord yet once again. Let’s not return to our former selves. Let’s return to New Life!!