CHRISTIAN VISION

CHRISTIAN VISION – 3rd Sunday of Easter, Year C

            There is great power in the Name of Jesus, and what Jesus the Risen Lord means for all people. What happened to the original disciples happens in different ways in every age of the Church. The disciples filled with the Holy Spirit were forbidden to bear witness to Jesus, and were punished when they continued to proclaim Jesus, as the Church does in every age. Being judged worthy of ill treatment for the sake of the Name, they were filled with joy.

            If we had never heard of Jesus, and had no faith in the saving events of His life, our life would be without hope. The evils of life would be overwhelming. The Christian vision of life is the highest and greatest one. The Scriptures give us the Christian vision. The Book of Revelation gives us the exalted vision of Jesus, the Risen Lord, and all those who have placed faith in Him. The disciple John had a vision, and heard the voices of many angels, and the countless thousands and tens of thousands who worship the slain Risen Lord. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and power.”

            The vision of the Gospel of Christ reveals the reality of the glory of risen life we have in Christ, and which we are to grow into in this life, and into eternity. It’s only with the vision and hope of the Gospel that this life, and so many of life’s experiences, make sense or become bearable. The resurrection appearances of the Risen Lord were necessary for the early disciples, just as their witness and the apostolic faith are necessary for us. Without the vision of the Risen Lord after the crucifixion, they couldn’t have gone on in hope, or continued the mission of Jesus. Knowing Jesus, the Risen Lord, was alive and present by the Holy Spirit sustained them, just as it sustains the Church in every age.

            The Gospels give us accounts of some of the appearances of the Risen Lord to the disciples. In one of the many appearances, Jesus’ disciples had gone fishing. They had spent their life fishing and made their living fishing. The Lord sometimes gets peoples’ attention better if they are having some problem or struggle, or undergoing some hardship. The disciples had spent the whole night fishing and hadn’t caught anything. The Risen Lord was standing on the shore. They didn’t know it was Jesus. He asked them if they had caught any fish. They said they hadn’t. He told them what they needed to do, and they made a great catch of fish. When that happened, the disciple Jesus loved cried out to Peter: “It is the Lord”.

            Jesus had prepared a fire so they could cook the fish, and there was some bread there. Like all good fishermen, they counted the fish. It was enough to get them into the Guinness Book of Records. There were one hundred and fifty-three of them! More than they had ever brought in before, and yet their nets were not broken. Jesus called to them: “Come and eat your meal”. They didn’t have to ask who are you, even though the Risen Lord looked different.  They knew it was the Lord. We know it’s the Lord when we come to the meal of the Eucharist. In faith we know the Risen Lord Jesus is present with us in the Eucharistic Meal. “Jesus came over, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.”

            Jesus also gave Peter a chance to proclaim his faith and love three times, since he had three times denied he knew Jesus. He restored Simon Peter in his mission of feeding, tending and shepherding God’s people. The three questions were painful for Peter as they reminded him of his denials. They were hopeful too, for he was to be the Lord’s Apostle. The Lord even foretold how he would be crucified to glorify God.

            The disciples saw in the great catch of fish, the Church’s mission to catch people and draw people into the net of Christ’s Church. They learned that there were a hundred and fifty-three known kinds of fish at that time. They realized the mission of the Church was to all the nations and peoples of the earth for all ages.

            The first disciples also came to know what the Church has proclaimed and celebrated from the very beginning, that Jesus the Risen Lord calls us to the spiritual meal of the Holy Eucharist!

Reflection from Divine Mercy, #1265

“O most compassionate Jesus, grant me the grace to forget myself that I may live totally for souls, helping You in the work of salvation.”