For 4 May 2025, Third Sunday of Easter, based on John 21:1–6
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.
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Today, in chapter 21 of John’s Gospel, Simon Peter and six other disciples encounter Jesus in an unpredictable situation. Jesus watches the disciples return from fishing and sees their empty nets. Jesus says to them, “You have no fish, have you? Cast the net to the other side of the boat.” The disciples do so, and they catch 153 fish. Then, they grill one of the fish, and while having breakfast with him, their eyes are opened to recognize Jesus, who has risen from the tomb. This unpredictable encounter with the risen Lord is the turning point of faith in their lives.
So, too, for us. Sometimes, life takes an unpredictable turn, and suddenly, we see Jesus.
In what would be Pope Francis’s last homily, read on his behalf by Cardinal Angelo Camastri at Mass on Easter Sunday morning at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Francis put the experience of encounter with the risen Lord this way:
We must look for him without ceasing. Because if he has risen from the dead, then he is present everywhere, he dwells among us, he hides himself and reveals himself even today in the sisters and brothers we meet along the way, in the most ordinary and unpredictable situations of our lives. He is alive and is with us always, shedding the tears of those who suffer and adding to the beauty of life through the small acts of love carried out by each of us.
The night before, in Pope Francis’s Easter Vigil homily read on his behalf by Cardinal Giovanna Battista Re, Pope Francis spoke to us in words that amount to a lasting testament. He called us to actively participate in the “turning point” of the resurrection. He said:
The risen Christ is the definitive turning point in human history. He is the hope that does not fade. He is the love that accompanies us and sustains us. He is the future of history, the ultimate destination towards which we walk, to be welcomed into that new life in which the Lord himself will wipe away all our tears and “death, mourning and crying and pain will be no more” (Rev 21:4). And it falls to us to proclaim this Easter hope, this “turning point” where darkness becomes light.
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 
4 May 2025
0 CommentsThe Turn to Discipleship
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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.
—————-
Today, in chapter 21 of John’s Gospel, Simon Peter and six other disciples encounter Jesus in an unpredictable situation. Jesus watches the disciples return from fishing and sees their empty nets. Jesus says to them, “You have no fish, have you? Cast the net to the other side of the boat.” The disciples do so, and they catch 153 fish. Then, they grill one of the fish, and while having breakfast with him, their eyes are opened to recognize Jesus, who has risen from the tomb. This unpredictable encounter with the risen Lord is the turning point of faith in their lives.
In what would be Pope Francis’s last homily, read on his behalf by Cardinal Angelo Camastri at Mass on Easter Sunday morning at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Francis put the experience of encounter with the risen Lord this way:
The night before, in Pope Francis’s Easter Vigil homily read on his behalf by Cardinal Giovanna Battista Re, Pope Francis spoke to us in words that amount to a lasting testament. He called us to actively participate in the “turning point” of the resurrection. He said:
Scripture passage from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright 1989, 1993, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.