Cycle C - Year I:  

5 May 2019: Third Sunday of Easter 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41

Second Reading:   Revelation 5:11-14

Gospel:  Please Read  John 21:1-19

Jesus calls: "Follow me!"

Have you ever been asked the question "Do you love me?"  Well, we all may have encountered such a question.  It sounds straightforward but it is not easy to answer though. Because if we answer "yes" it does not stop there; it demands a commitment, a witnessing to prove such love.

In today's Gospel narrative, we hear our risen Lord ask Simon Peter the same question of "Do you love me?" not once but thrice. And so Peter was distressed and troubled that Jesus asked him the same question thrice.

Let us reflect on the Gospel passage.

On the third Sunday of Easter, the Gospel narrates that Peter and his companions went fishing by the lake of Tiberias. But they caught nothing all night. Then by dawn Jesus appears to them for the third time after His resurrection. But the disciples did not recognize the risen Lord.

Like in the previous miracle of the big catch of fish in Lake Gennesaret, Jesus again performed a miracle of another big catch of fish, and only then that the disciples realize it was Jesus with them.

At the end of the Gospel narrative, there was a conversation between Jesus and Peter, possibly a slightly uncomfortable one on Peter's part.  Because Jesus asks Peter "Do you love me?" three times, and Peter was distressed.

But Jesus was really rehabilitating Peter as the leader of the apostles in asking him a threefold confession of love to make up for his threefold denial at the passion. For Jesus will be giving Peter the important mission to prove his love for our Lord: "Feed my lambs!', "Tend my sheep!"

In the Gospel incident today, Jesus has challenged Peter to abandon his work as fisherman for the greater task of shepherding God's people, the Church.

In fulfilling Peter's mission, Jesus also predicted the kind of death that Peter will suffer for our Lord's sake: "... you will stretch our your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."  And the Lord's prediction was fulfilled when Peter died a martyr, crucified upside down on a cross on the Vatican hill.

Then comes the fateful last word of today's Gospel reading, which is addressed not just to Peter but to all of us down the ages who wish to serve the Lord, the invitation to discipleship: "Follow me."

Like Peter, the Lord also calls each one of us, even in our weaknesses, sinfulness and failings, to love Him above all else. But loving Jesus entails caring for the people our Lord loves. Loving Jesus means embracing our Lord's mission of proclaiming God's kingdom on earth and becoming witnesses of God's love by caring for others, especially the poor and marginalized members of our society.  Loving Jesus means trusting our Lord completely with our hearts and life for the sake of His kingdom.

This is a timely message in choosing our leaders comes election day this month. We must choose leaders who can lead us, not only through our journey in this world, but more importantly our journey safely to our heavenly home. For we are but a pilgrim people while on earth.

In sum, "Follow me" is our Easter invitation from our risen Lord Jesus Christ, to cast our nets at the other side of the boat where an abundance of fish awaits us, so that we can take care of the Lord's flock entrusted to our mission.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle C - Year I:  

28 April 2019: Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday)

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 5:12-16

Second Reading:   Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19

Gospel:  Please Read  John 20:19-31

Overcoming our fear!

In the purely physical world, the basic standard is "to see is to believe".  But as we go higher in the domains in life, we also realize that "the best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt by the heart."  The last quote is, of course, from Helen Keller, a well-known American author who was blind.

Let us reflect on these interesting quotes to connect us to the Gospel passage for the second Sunday of Easter, also celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday.

We recall that just last Sunday, or Easter Sunday the universal Church proclaimed the Lord is risen! But in those times, He has yet to appear to the disciples who kept themselves locked up in a room after Jesus' death for fear of the Jews.

As the Gospel story goes, Simon Peter, John and Mary of Magdala, who were the first to witness the empty tomb, told the rest of the disciples that there was no dead body of Jesus in the tomb where they laid Him, but the burial cloths were there. Perhaps, the disciples were thinking that if indeed Jesus is risen all the more the disciples were afraid because they realized how they were cowardly during the passion and death of their Master.

And so it happened, "when the doors were locked, where the disciples were", the risen Lord appears for the first time to the disciples and greets them, "Peace be with you."

Now, take note that the risen Lord's first words to the disciples are a declaration of forgiveness, peace and mercy, even before they could even ask for forgiveness for their unfaithfulness and cowardice.

But one of the original twelve disciples, Thomas was his name, was not with them when the risen Christ first appeared to the group. So the next time Thomas was with the group, the rest of the disciples shared their experience with the risen Christ. But Thomas refused to believe and said, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (Jn 20:25)

A week passed after that, and the risen Lord appeared again, and Thomas was with the group this time. Then Jesus allowed him to put his finger in Jesus' wounds. Thomas saw and believed! Jesus said to Thomas, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (Jn 20:29)

What, then, is the message of the Gospel narratives for us today?

Well, we, too, are often fearful to face the risen Lord in our lives. Because we feel like the doubting Thomas in the Gospel -- our faith is not strong enough to withstand suffering, trials and evils in our world. That is why we demand clear signs of Jesus' victory over death and sin, like Thomas did. Or perhaps, we spend so much time focusing on our sins and failures instead on God's mercy and compassion. We fear to face the risen Lord in our lives!

But this Sunday's liturgy assures us that God's mercy precedes our sins, precisely because of the saving work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This means that we are forgiven long before we even think of committing sins. But we must repent and ask for forgiveness. God only awaits for us to claim the mercy already prepared for us through the saving work of Jesus Christ.

So let us pray in the Holy Eucharist at Mass that like Thomas may the risen Christ open our eyes to the power of the Resurrection, overcome our fear by transforming our doubts and fear into confident faith and boundless joy of the risen Savior.

Incidentally, some may wonder why the risen Lord Jesus Christ keeps His wounds in His glorified body. Could He not just wipe out all the marks of His passion and suffering in His glorified body, since He is God?

Some great theologians have the following answers:

(a)  The wounds of our Lord are there because they proclaim the glory and victory of Christ;

(b)  The wounds of our Lord also serve to confirm the disciples in their faith and hope in the resurrection, and so gave them the courage to suffer for our Lord, as they in fact, suffered for Him;

(c)  And the five wounds of Jesus are there so that He may constantly present them to the Father in heaven in supplication in our behalf, when we fall back to sin.

Finally, the second Sunday of Easter is also Divine Mercy Sunday, promoted by Sister Faustina Kowalska. Let us, therefore, claim our own share of God's divine mercy as we face with confidence in divine goodness, whatever difficulties we encounter in our worldly journey to the Father's house.

A blessed Divine Mercy Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!