THE WORD
Ac 4,1-12 / Jn 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 nd 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 sh. 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.
IN OTHER WORDS
The Risen Lord meets us whenever and wherever He wants. He comes in the appearance He wishes. He points us in the right direction and gives us helpful instructions. In the case of the disciples in today’s gospel, the Lord met them at dawn at the sea of Tiberias. He assumed the image of a father calling the grown-ups (the disciples) children. He gave instructions – cast the net; pointed in a direction –over the right side of the boat; and assured them of the outcome of the instructions
– you will find something. The disciples, like children under the command of a loving father, simply obeyed. As a result they enjoyed a great catch. After the event, the disciple whom Jesus loved pointed out “It is the Lord!” The beloved disciple knows the works, recognizes the movements, and feels the presence of the Lord, the Lover.
On one occasion last year, a teenager in our parish posted a picture of a crucifix on his Facebook timeline. Above the picture, he wrote: “Today is Valentine’s Day. This is my crucifix. This is an image of Jesus. Oftentimes I put it on my table. Although we don’t see Him, He is always near us. Sometimes we neglect him, forget him, but he will not get angry or leave us. I put the crucifix on my table to think of Him, to love Him, to gently caress Him.” Are these not the words of someone who feels the love of Jesus and loves Jesus in return? Are these not the expressions of a beloved who cherishes the presence of the lover?
While lovers celebrate Hearts Day with their own beloved in their own ways, a teenager made public (via FB) when and where the Lord meets him; how the crucifix reminds him of the nearness of the Risen Jesus to him and to all of us. In those lines he wrote, “I heard him telling me: ‘Look, it is the Lover! It is the Risen Lord! ‘“
- Fr. Abs Borja, SVD | Taiwan
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
