Third Sunday of Easter

Fr Dominic’s Homily

It’s the day after the resurrection of Jesus. The apostles are still trying to get their heads around everything. It’s a lot to take in. And we hear that the apostles had gone fishing on Lake Galilee.

Maybe they were a little bit disillusioned and so had gone back to what they were used to. Or maybe they were just hungry and needed some food.

So they spend the whole night fishing but caught nothing. John’s Gospel is making the connection between darkness and the absence of God. Anything cut off from God will always be futile and never be fruitful. But then morning breaks and the light appears. And a stranger calls out to them from the shore. “Throw your nets out in a different way and you will catch something.”

This is almost a bit patronising. It’s surprising that they decided to follow this request from a stranger after a full nights work. But they do. And the nets are so full that they almost start to burst. This is what happens when we listen to God and work by his light. It’s similar to the great abundance of wine that Jesus provides at the wedding at Cana.

John then has a sudden realisation and shouts “It is the Lord” So Peter Jumps into the water and swims to the shore. The other disciples followed in the boats.

When they reach the shore they see a charcoal fire ready for cooking. The word from the Greek actually means more of a hearth. The last time that particular word is used is when Peter is warming his hands outside the temple before denying three times that he even knows Jesus.

Peter must have remembered this last fire and what had happened and why Jesus was doing this. So Jesus then asks Peter three times if he loves him. This echoes and mirrors the three times that Peter had denied him. It’s a way of restoring his relationship with the Lord by a triple affirmation of his love.

If we feel the guilt of letting someone down or deeply offending them. The hurt can weigh us down. We can deny the problem. We try and ignore it. But if you think of atrocities committed around the world they cannot be healed without first being recognised and acknowledged. There can be no reconciliation without first admitting to what has been done.

Each time that Jesus asks Peter he uses a different version of the world love. Each time it was a deeper request of love that Jesus was asking of him.

When it comes to forgiveness sometimes the most difficult person to forgive is ourselves! And Jesus knows this. He is saying to us that he can work with our imperfections if only we let him. But we need to confront them.

Remember that failing in this life is never a disaster unless you decide to make it the last chapter of your book. They will never define who we are.

So Peter’s failure and betrayal are transformed into grace. Despite his betrayal. He was still the one Jesus had chosen to feed his sheep. His weakness and failure did not define who he was.

We can allow our past sins and failings to weigh us down. Both Judas and Peter had betrayed Jesus. But where Judas looked back in despair and hanged himself, Peter acknowledged what he had done but then looked forward in hope to become that rock upon which Jesus built his Church.

Because of the failures and the testing of their faith the disciples change. Now they are true disciples because the love and mercy of God has changed their hearts.

The Lord asks us the same question every day: How much do you love me? To follow Jesus closely means to walk a path of sacrificial suffering. This helps us to be more tolerant and forgiving of others and their hurts.

Remember that the lord doesn’t want need us to be perfect. He says my Mercy and love is enough for you. Trust in me.

When you paint a wall you sand it first so the paint sticks properly. When you put a new road down you rough the surface a little so the new tarmac can attach.

It’s the same with our hearts – the damaged parts are the very areas where Gods mercy and forgiveness can attach. If we acknowledge and recognise these wounded areas first and offer them to God then he can start to fill them in.

Then with transformed hearts we can follow him more closely in the world. And only then we are ready to be his true disciples.