Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” May-June 2022

3rd Sunday of Easter (C)
3rd week proper

FIRST READING

From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41)
In those days, the high priest questioned the apostles, saying: “We gave you strict orders not to teach in that name, did we not? Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles said in reply: “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” They had the apostles flogged and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. – The Word of the Lord.

Commentary on the first reading

The leaders of the Sanhedrin do everything they can to stifle the truth because they do not understand the true meaning of Jesus’ presence and mission among his people. Peter, who has now taken on the role of leader of the new community, explains it clearly: Jesus Christ came for Israel’s conversion and the forgiveness of its sins. This means that Jesus came to free us from another kind of enemy, far worse than the Romans: sin. Israel, which considers itself God’s chosen and elected people, is in even greater need of the grace of conversion, although it seems that its leaders have not yet understood this. If God enters your life, it is first and foremost to free you from a terrible form of slavery, namely sin. For this reason, seek conversion above all and first, and everything else will be given to you as well. Peter and the other apostles show great courage because they possess good news to proclaim, a message of life to communicate: they work to proclaim salvation, believe in Jesus, and are willing to suffer and give their lives for him. May the Lord grant us the same courage.

SECOND READING

From the Book of Revelation of Saint John the Apostle (Rev 5:11-14)
I, John, saw and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,
and they cried out in a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: “To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever.” The four living creatures answered, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Commentary on the second reading

In one of his visions, John describes the heavenly liturgy with the adoration of the Lamb, to whom the hymn of praise rises from the four elders and the heavenly beings. All the creatures of the earth join in this new song. The Lamb is the center; he represents Christ who, seated on the throne, draws all creatures to himself. For them, to live means to praise, to remain in his presence, to contemplate his glory, to see his wounds even on his risen body, and to keep their gaze fixed on him. Today the liturgy invites us to make our own the one priority of the liturgy of heaven: to adore Jesus, crucified and risen. We too, who live on this earth marked by suffering, must learn to keep our gaze fixed on heaven, where the Lord awaits us to sit at the banquet of his kingdom. Whenever we celebrate and adore the Eucharist, we can live the attitude of thanksgiving of the heavenly spirits, thus making our lives a continual offering to God. Let us pause in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament to acknowledge Christ’s primacy in our lives.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to John (Jn 21:1-19)
At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way: Simon Peter, Thomas, called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were unable to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net with the fish. They were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. 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.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that he had said to him a 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. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

The fifty days during which we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection are a privileged time in which we are given the opportunity to experience his presence among us. These accounts are extremely important for our faith: they reveal to us how believers, both yesterday and today, encounter the risen Lord, and they tell us that what happened to the apostles can happen to us as well. Certainly, the concrete ways in which the risen Lord revealed himself on the Sea of Tiberias are not the ways in which he reveals himself to each of us today. Each of us will have connected this scene, in which Jesus distributes the bread and fish, with the Eucharist. And that is precisely so: each of us can live the same experience of communion with the Lord through the Eucharist, which is exactly the presence of the risen Lord among us. In the Eucharist we can experience this real, though hidden, presence: the Lord gives himself to us not only in his Word, but in his body and blood. The risen Lord remains with us; it does not matter if we do not see him with the eyes of our bodies. Let us ask him for the light of faith to recognize his presence in our lives.