Entries

Third Sunday of Easter (C)

May 04, 2025

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Introit

Rite of Sprinkling

Gloria

Collect

May your people exult for ever, O God,
in renewed youthfulness of spirit,
so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption,
we may look forward in confident hope
to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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

The captain went with the temple police and brought the apostles, who were teaching in the temple, 27 and had them stand before the council. 28 The high priest questioned the apostles, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” 40 Then the council ordered the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name.

Responsorial Psalm 30:2,4,5-6,11-12,13

R/. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Second Reading Rev 5:11-14

I, John, looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!” 13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever!” 14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshipped.

Gospel Acclamation

Gospel Jn 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2 Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about ninety metres off. 9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 “Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God. After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Catena Nova

We may wonder what advantage there could be for Christ, in Peter’s love for Him. If Christ loves you, you profit, not Christ; and if you love Him, again the advantage is yours, not His. But wishing to show us how we should demonstrate our love for Him, Christ the Lord made it plain, that it is by our concern for His sheep…. To the Lord’s one and only question, Peter had no other answer than “I do love you.” And each time the Lord gave Peter the same command! Let us love one another then and by so doing, we shall be loving Christ.” (St. Augustine of Hippo)

We can so easily make ourselves victims of our own thoughts and feelings of guilt and shame for what we have done. Make no mistake, we must be accountable for our actions, but when we stay stuck in the unhappy story of what we have done – when we make an identity out of our past actions – we deny ourselves the gift of transformation. We can all learn from the mistakes of our past. Learning from the past is not the same as being held hostage by what we have done. At some stage we must let go of the past and begin again. We have said repeatedly that no one is undeserving of forgiveness, and this includes you. (Archbishop Desmond Tutu)

The assumption made by the Book of Revelation is affirmed by the rest of the New Testament: the Son comes forth from the Father; and the Father, out of his love for the world, has given his Son to be slain, “for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” The Lamb is God’s mode of involvement in, and commitment to, the world; the Lamb is both “worthy” and “able” not only to symbolize God’s involvement but to be it. The Invisible One holds nothing back when he hands over his prerogatives to the Lamb; he reserves nothing to himself. (Hans Urs von Balthasar)

In Christianity is born the new sense of life that one should not flee the world but that Christ is coming into the world for the marriage feast of the Lamb, the feast of Divine-Humanity - as the King and therefore as the judge. In the battle for the Kingdom of Christ the faithful turn toward the coming Christ; their hearts are inclined toward Him in their expectation of Him, and one begins to hear the still timid refrain of the nearly forgotten ancient Christian prayer: "Even so, come." Christ's continuing enthronement, of His royal ministry, which is being accomplished in history, is disclosed in the book of Revelation as the apocalypse, that is, as the revelation of the hidden, inner content of history. In the heavenly vision of the One who sits on the throne and who holds in his right hand a book, in this vision of the historical destiny of the Church and, with her, of the historical destiny of humanity and the entire world, "no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon" (Rev. 5:3). (Sergei Bulgakov)

We shall draw nearer to God, not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves, but by accepting them and offering them to Him; throwing away all defensive amour. If our hearts need to be broken, and if He chooses this as a way in which they should break, so be it.” (C.S. Lewis)

This turning point in the life of Peter came about at the initiative of Jesus, not at the initiative of Peter. Peter’s attempt ends in failure; but when he fishes at Jesus’ command, the nets are filled to the breaking point. The same thing happens in the life of each of us. While it is true that we ourselves decide what paths we will take, our decisions will lead us to true joy and fulfilment only if they are in accordance with God’s will…. The secret of the successful catch of fish is the obedience of Peter and his companions. As soon as Jesus spoke – even though they had been fishing all night and had caught nothing – they dropped the nets and tried again. Their obedience produced an amazing catch of fish. More importantly, it opened their eyes; it enabled them to recognize Jesus by faith. (Pope St. John Paul II)

The encounter takes place on the shore of the Lake of Tiberias. John the Evangelist recounts the conversation between Jesus and Peter in that circumstance. There is a very significant play on words. In Greek, the word "fileo" means the love of friendship, tender but not all-encompassing; instead, the word "agapao" means love without reserve, total and unconditional. Jesus asks Peter the first time: "Simon... do you love me (agapas-me)" with this total and unconditional love (Jn 21: 15)? Prior to the experience of betrayal, the Apostle certainly would have said: "I love you (agapo-se) unconditionally". Now that he has known the bitter sadness of infidelity, the drama of his own weakness, he says with humility: "Lord; you know that I love you (filo-se)", that is, "I love you with my poor human love". Christ insists: "Simon, do you love me with this total love that I want?". And Peter repeats the response of his humble human love: "Kyrie, filo-se", "Lord, I love you as I am able to love you". The third time Jesus only says to Simon: "Fileis-me?", "Do you love me?". Simon understands that his poor love is enough for Jesus, it is the only one of which he is capable, nonetheless he is grieved that the Lord spoke to him in this way. He thus replies: "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you (filo-se)". This is to say that Jesus has put himself on the level of Peter, rather than Peter on Jesus' level! It is exactly this divine conformity that gives hope to the Disciple, who experienced the pain of infidelity. From here is born the trust that makes him able to follow [Christ] to the end: "This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God. And after this he said to him, "Follow me'" (Jn 21: 19). From that day, Peter "followed" the Master with the precise awareness of his own fragility; but this understanding did not discourage him…. And in this way he shows us the way, notwithstanding all of our weakness. We know that Jesus adapts himself to this weakness of ours. (Pope Benedict XVI)

Homily

It's not often we get to know very well the figures who appear in the New Testament. Most of the time we get "character sketches" — an outline of their personality — and so are left to speculate, let our imagination fill in the blanks or read between the lines. Take the disciples mentioned in today's gospel: of Thomas we know about his doubts and that he had a twin. Of Nathaniel we know his hometown, that he was a true Israelite without guile and that he wondered if anything good could come from Nazareth. Of the disciple whom Jesus loved, we don't even know his name, even if tradition thought it might be John. If we had to rely on John's gospel alone we wouldn't even know the names of Zebedee's sons; only from the other gospels do we know James and John had a fishing business, the nickname "sons of thunder," a mother who thought they should have pride of place at Jesus' side, and James was the first apostle to die a martyr.

But then there's Simon Peter. Without taking into account what the other gospels and the Acts of the Apostles tell us of him, just the Gospel of John alone paints far more than a sketch. But even John felt a need to "fill in some blanks" with today's story which, admittedly, does not fit into the narratives we've heard the last two Sundays. It's out of synch. Scholars believe it was an independent tradition placed here by the editor of the final version of the gospel as a kind of addendum, an epilogue of sorts.

Peter's story began, however, when his brother Andrew introduced him to Jesus. Andrew came running to him one day, all excited, saying he found the Messiah. Jesus already knew his name: Simon Bar-Jonah. And then he changed it. Told him he would be called Peter -- the “Rock.” And the nickname stuck.

It took a while though for Peter to believe the things Jesus said about himself. Oh yes, there were signs, very hard to grasp. Until one day, Peter knew he had nowhere else to go. So he kept following. Right to the end. ‘Til the night of the Supper, that is. When Jesus said he was going away and Peter said he wanted to go with him. Thinking he would lay down his life for him. Though Jesus, as usual, knew better, foretelling Peter would deny him three times before dawn as indeed he did with the words: “I am not his follower.” So he headed back home to Galilee. To start all over again. Put the past behind him and get on with his life. "Going fishing," as he announced to the others who joined him.

But then another day dawned — though without a single catch. Until someone who called them "children" told them to put the net out again. And the fish multiplied — just like that time Jesus fed a crowd with all the fish they wanted just across the lake. When his favorite yelled, It is the Lord, he thought to get dressed and start swimming. Come and have breakfast, he says. Bread and fish, just like that other time.

But then the moment of truth arrives. Simon, son of John, he says. Not Peter this time. Do you love me more than these? More than these others? The favorite one too? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you…. Feed my lambs. As with the good shepherd? Simon, son of John, do you love me? A little less probing this time. Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Tend my sheep. His sheep? Must be the ones he said "hear his voice.” Simon, son of John, do you love me? It hurt the third time. But Peter's not that dense — three times for three times. Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you. Feed my sheep. No doubt “the ones for whom he laid down his life.” But then there's that enigmatic, Peter will stretch out his hands? Someone else will lead him where he does not want to go. Tradition would fill in that blank.

Now, have you ever felt like Simon Peter? Felt like a failure, felt like giving up? Maybe you too have had a relationship you thought was beyond repair. When your role in the breakdown seemed impossible to overcome. Maybe that relationship was with God, when some sin of denial made you think forgiveness too much to ask, and restoration out of the question.

But after that morning by the lake, Peter understood how no matter what we’ve done, we don’t have to wrestle from God the great absolution of Easter. Or even beg the Lord’s indulgence. Divine mercy is content to know we love him, and are willing to follow him. Like Peter did. Until that day, as the rest of the story goes, when he was fastened upside-down to a Roman cross, and like his Master, entered from there into the glory foreseen by John the Seer: Peter taking his place among the elders and joining the song of victory: To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever…. Amen (II).

Intercessions (cf. Joe Milner; The Sunday Website)

For the Church: that empowered by the Holy Spirit, we may give convincing witness to the freeing and healing power of the Risen Christ.

For the College of Cardinals, tasked with the election of Peter's' successor, that their choice, guided by the Holy Spirit, will be a disciple of unwavering loyalty, love, and service of the Risen Christ.

For our own greater discipleship: that we may be not be limited by past failures but be open to God’s new invitations and rely upon God to bring to fulfillment the mission entrusted to us.

For all who face suffering or persecution for being a Christian: that the Spirit will strengthen them to give faithful witness to Christ and God’s love for all.

For a spirit of openness and acceptance: that we may welcome the stranger and immigrant into our communities and help them to build a new life and find the courage to resist policies of cruelty and exclusion.

For insight: that we may bring the witness of the Gospel to the social and political issues of our day and that the Spirit will give us words to effectively communicate the truth.

For peace: that God will turn hearts from violence, open minds to the pain that it causes, and open new opportunities for dialogue and understanding.

God of life, in your risen Son you reveal your abiding presence among us and summon those reborn in baptism to lives of worship and service. Fill this assembly with reverence as we come before you in prayer. Grant us courage and zeal in bearing witness before the world to your Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen. (ICEL; 1998)

Offertory Antiphon

Offertory Hymn

After your descent into Hades, O Christ and your Resurrection from the dead, the disciples grieved over your departure. They returned to their occupations and attended to their nets and their boats, but their fishing was in vain. You appeared to them since you are the Lord of all; you commanded them to cast their nets on the right side, immediately your word became deed. They caught a great number of fish, and they found an unexpected meal prepared for them on the shore, which they immediately ate. Now, make us worthy to enjoy this meal with them in spiritual manner, O Lord and Lover of Mankind!

Archives