Sunday Homily, April 10, 2016, 3rd Easter
Readings:
Acts 5, 27-32, 40-41, The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus
Psalm 30, I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Revelation 5, 11-14, I heard to voices of many angels.
John 21, 19-31, Simon, do you love me more than these?
Introduction: In our reading from Luke’s Acts we are told that the apostles are teaching, through the power of the Spirit, about the Lamb of God. At this time they have in their possession the gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke. In the Book of Revelation, written later, we are told about the four living creatures that glorify the Lamb of God. They are the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John; in these gospel stories Jesus is alive to us through the power of the Spirit.
Homily by Mike:
Today’s gospel reading is not in the original John gospel. It was added later with two other parable-like stories. Since the gospels complement one another, the inspired writers of the Matthew gospel prepare us for this reading with the words, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a net, thrown into the sea, that catches people of every kind,’ and that’s why Jesus had called his disciples to be fishers of men.
In Judaism, there was a net; it was called the Sabbath Synagogue Service. Later the inspired writers initiated a net in which the Sunday gospel reading fulfilled the expectation of the Law and/or the Prophets for the coming of Christ. We give thanks that the Holy Spirit moved the Church to re-institute the net during Vatican II, to be used in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
In today’s parable-like story, Peter and six others have gone fishing for gentiles, not fish. We know their intention because seven disciples also began this mission to the gentiles in the Matthew and Mark gospels, and in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles. We are told on the first day of their mission they caught nothing. Jesus tells them in this parable story to use the net, and that even if they cast it to the worst possible place, the right side of the boat were the rudder would most likely tangle the net; they would still catch many gentiles. The success that the disciples have ignites John’s heart, and he tells Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’
Now, there are two synonymous fish in this story. Each has the same Greek definition, ‘to be eaten along with the bread.’ Recall the gospel stories about the loaves and fish that anticipate the Lord’s Supper. After the Lord blesses the loaves and fish, or gives thanks over them, he gives them to his disciples to distribute to the Jews and to the gentiles. So, what is it that we are to consume today along with the body of Christ, the bread blessed and broken that we are called to become daily in our lives? It is this Sunday’s Liturgy of the Word where our parable story was first proclaimed and now being explained.
Many of you have or have seen other Christians whose cars or homes show the symbol of the fish, ichthus, one of these two words for fish in this parable story. Recall its Greek acronym stands for, ‘Jesus, Christ, God’s Son and Savior.’ Believers identify themselves with it. And they should! This Greek word for fish is found throughout Matthew, Mark and Luke; but in John it is only found there in today’s reading along with the other word for fish found only in John.
If you study today’s reading carefully in Greek, you will realize that the net used by the seven to catch many gentiles was composed of the 153 parable-like stories written by the inspired writers of Matthew, Mark and Luke. In our reading today, Jesus joins them with the original gospel stories of John, that were not yet in use but in these disciple’s possession, along with the additions to the John gospel on the grill, to form the one Gospel. The truth presented by this parable-like story is that the net that was formed will not be divided; there is one Gospel, one net, to be used to the ends of the earth.
Today’s parable-like story ends this way: Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This is how the disciples knew that it was the Lord present to them in both the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the Word.