EASTER FRIDAY READINGS AND REFLECTION:
THE MIRACULOUS CATCH OF FISH (Jn 21:1-14).
Acts 4:1–12
After the crippled man had been cured, while Peter and John were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They laid hands on Peter and John and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word came to believe and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class. They brought them into their presence and questioned them, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or: Alleluia.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or: Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the Lord has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the Lord has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or: Alleluia.
O Lord, grant salvation!
O Lord, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, and he has given us light.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Or: Alleluia.
Optional: Sequence
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems: Christ,
who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in
that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
Bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen:
To Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen,
our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
ALLELUIA
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
Gospel
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 find 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 fish. 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
Gospel Commentary
Today’s Gospel is the third time the Risen Jesus appeared to his apostles wherein the miraculous catch of the occurred.
- Peter and the other disciples were professional fishermen. They knew what they were doing but after a long night’s effort without catching anything, and already at dawn, it would have had been logical for them to pack their nets and head straight home….until the Risen Lord appeared.
- He told them to put cast the net at the right side of the boat, and suprisingly, they caught one hundred fifty three large fish.
- This miracle was the fruit of humility, docility and obedience. Peter would have had easily retorted to Jesus that it would be useless to cast the net at the right side of the boat…after all fishing is his profession. But instead, he obeyed, he was docile, because he was humble and had Faith in the Lord.
In our life, we hear God in our prayers, or through his instruments, telling us to fulfill something after we had put and used up all the human resources at our reach. Then, like Peter, it is time to obey and be docile to what God is asking from us. For only then, God’s power would manifest itself.
Lord, during this crisis, a lot of people are dying, suffering, grieving, and racing against time to find a cure. Tell us what we must do, and may we be docile to your word.
When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.…Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” …Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.
A surprising verse is narrated above: where did Jesus get the fish? What does it signify? It was already there together with the bread over the charcoal fire before the Apostles arrived, and Jesus wants us to know something new.
The giving of fish and the breaking of the bread remind us of the Holy Eucharist. However, there is more to it.
The fish itself, in Greek, ICHTUS OR ICHTYS, is Jesus Christ Himself who is immolated over the charcoal fire and is given to all. It means JESUS CHRIST, SON OF GOD, SAVIOR. This symbol of Christ has been used by the early Christians and could be seen in many catacombs, for before the Edict of Milan, the Christians were persecuted and this symbol identifies them to other Christians.
- ΙΧΘΥΣ (ichthys), or also ΙΧΘΥϹ is an acronym for Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr; contemporary Koine , which translates into English as ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God, [Our] Savior’.
- Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for “Jesus”.
- Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστός), Greek for “anointed” (of the Lord).
- Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), Greek for “God’s”, the genitive case of Θεóς, Theos, Greek for “God”.
- Upsilon (y) is the first letter of (h)yios (Yἱός), Greek for “Son”.
- Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for “Savior”.
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.
- The Fathers of the Church always saw a symbol of the Church in the net which was not torn, in spite of the great number of fish, which in turn, signify the elect.
- Truly the gates of hell shall not prevail over Jesus’ Church with St. Peter and His successors as His Vicar.
Let us thank Our Lord once more for the gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist, which is perpetuated till the end of time by His Church. And during this time of crisis, may we have a great desire of dealing with Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, by accompanying Him spiritually in the Tabernacle, and by praying frequently the Spiritual Communion.
VIDEO REFLECTION
TOPIC: DO YOU BOLDLY PROCLAIM JESUS TO THOSE AROUND YOU, EVEN AT THE RISK OF RIDICULE OR PERSECUTION?
In today’s first reading, after Peter and John preached about Jesus’ resurrection and attributing the healing of a cripple to Him, they face persecution and harassment from the Sadducees. To review, the Sadducees and Pharisees were religious Jewish parties in Jesus’ time. The Pharisees believed in resurrection while the Sadducees did not. The Sadducees were from the aristocracy and controlled the Sanhedren, the supreme political, religious and judicial body at that time. Their differences ended with one similarity – they were both critical of Jesus. We reflect on the boldness of Peter. He who denied Jesus three times and hid during the passion of Jesus, is now the staunchest defender and proclaimer of the faith.
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