The Risen Christ is God’s efficacious Word and Work among God’s people.
Third Sunday of Easter C
(Even though Fr. Emmanuel has left us, we will continue to post the homilies he delivers in other countries.)(April 18, 2010)
For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.(Is 55)
Scriptures: Acts 5: 27b -32, 40b -41; Ps 30; Rv 5: 11 -14; Jn 21: 1 -19
Theme: The Risen Christ is God’s efficacious Word and Work among God’s people.[1]
(1) The value of action
All efforts and endeavors to do right and to please God are meritorious in intention. In today’s stories, we see the apostles tried before the Sanhedrin for having worked at propagating the news that Jesus was risen as God’s favored One. This labor makes of Jesus’ enemies the guilty party, the enemies of God’s cause in the world. In the second reading we witness the recognition by the heavenly court of the work of the Lamb of God, who is now worthy to receive the crown of glory for high quality service to God Almighty. Finally, in the gospel, we see Peter and his six companions fishing the whole night without much rest, yet ready to take another chance and work some more at the command of Jesus. Peter drags the net full of fish ashore, and at the very end of the story, he is called to “follow” the Lord. Action as service to the Kingdom of God is valued, appreciated and called for by the Lord. By wanting to do something in this time when Jesus had been taken away by death, Peter and the other disciples are pleasing God by going to what they know best is a rewarding human activity. At Easter we were saying that we do know have a complete knowledge of God but if we went (like the women of the first apparition in Luke) to the places we know God wants us to visit, we shall surely be found there by Him. In the midst of their ordinary action the Lord meets his disciples at the down of the new Day to impart on them his efficacious grace, the source and goal of all action: the Kingdom of God.
(2) The perfection in Grace
Grace is God’s every gift to humanity. Today, grace is presented in the first reading as “being worthy to suffer humiliations for the name of Jesus.” Why? Because He is the One God raised from the dead. Jesus is the New Realm of God, and this is the cause of the disciples’ joy, and the destination of their own lives in Him. The Throne of God is the center of Grace in the second reading. Around the throne is recognized the celebrated work of the Lamb and the life that it gives every Creature of God. The blessing received from God is returned in praise and worship: grace overflows. The Gospel reports the Word of God as grace: “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something” says the Lord. We sang in the Resurrection proclamation, “Christ that morning star, who came back from the dead and shed his peaceful light on us, [God’s] Son who lives and reigns forever and ever.” In the morning of the night in labor, Christ sheds the light of glory upon his friends, making fruitful the work of their hands and inviting them a step further, “feed my sheep” and “follow me.”
As our fore wording text of Isaiah 55 states, the Word of God fulfills what it says. The promises of God are true for us if we abide in Christ, the Kingdom of God. The appreciation and integration of all these pieces is done in the communion with the Lord.
(3) God’s Throne
Grace finally consists of living in the Kingdom of God. It comes down to living according to the patterns of Christ’s life, from communion with Him. The Gospel focuses on the net that is lowered and brought back up with increased weight. This is the symbol of the Kingdom of God, since around the net everything else plays out: the toil of an entire night of fishing by experts, the instrument named by the Word of God for ‘right use,’ the new challenge when grace strikes the fishermen with much catch, the place Peter walks away from while going to the Lord, the center of the other disciples labor from the boat, the work of Peter when sent back by the Lord to drag the net ashore. (Notice that Peter now has the strength to pull the net alone by the power of God). Finally, the supplement to the breakfast meal comes from the same net. The net represents Christ and is Church in whom we find grace and sustenance.
In the Kingdom of God, we are many and diverse, but it is the Lord who calls each one by name and makes us precious in his sight. Christ is the net in which we cannot be torn apart and away from God and others. In the Church that is his body, we enjoy the same security and communion with one another under the guidance of Christ’s instituted leadership through Peter and his successors. In truth it is around Jesus, recognized symbolically (not yet as in the ‘face to face’ of heaven) that we have our communion in the body and the blood of the Lord, his risen life of love and peace.
Conclusion: Let us pray therefore for the grace honoring the Lord by our songs, words and actions, as do the angels in heaven. Since God honors our labor by his presence among us, let us discharge our small and big responsibilities with joy and diligence, with risen minds and hearts in Christ.
[1] The work of God among people is also alive here in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) where I share in the lives of the people of Christ, Risen and giving grace and peace to his hard-working disciples.
