Gospel: April 5, 2024
(Friday)
Octave of Easter, Friday
Psalter: Proper / (White)
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:1-2 & 4, 22-24, 25-27a
The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
1st Reading: Acts 4:1-12
Gospel: John 21:1-14
After this, Jesus revealed himself to the disciples by the Lake of Tiberias. He appeared to them in this way: Simon Peter, Thomas who was called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together; and Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.” They replied, “We will come with you.” And they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, “Friends, have you anything to eat?” They answered, “Nothing.” Then he said to them, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find something.” When they had lowered the net, they were not able to pull it in because of the great number of fish.Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” At these words, “It’s the Lord!” Simon Peter put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and jumped into the water. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish; they were not far from land, about a hundred meters.
When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it, and some bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed into the boat and pulled the net to shore. It was full of big fish—153 but, in spite of this, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” And not one of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” for they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and he did the same with the fish.
This was the third time that Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after rising from the dead.Reflection:“To obey is to listen.”
There are times when the effort we exert in trying to make something work yields no results. Consequently, we may become doubtful if the Lord is hearing our prayers. If such doubt begins creeping in, we must trust the Lord. Today’s Gospel narrates that Peter and the other disciples went fishing in the Lake of Tiberias. They worked hard all night but to no avail. They caught nothing. Jesus, standing on the shore, instructed them to lower the net on the right side of the boat. They obeyed. It yielded a result more than they ever imagined. To obey is to listen. Listening entails docility. To obey is to heed someone else’s instruction even if there is no certainty that our action will generate the result we expect. Assured or not of the possible outcome about anything we work for, we can always align our hearts to the hearts of the people we trust. In our faith journey, we are called to align our hearts to the heart of Jesus. Once this happens, our relationship with the Lord deepens. The result of what we do may not be according to our expectations. But for sure, it will be for our good.
