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.
After a fruitless night with nothing to show, they suddenly had a huge number of fish. This happened before when Peter and Andrew, James and John were first called. The One who was Worthy was calling them again. The Beloved Disciple calls out, «It is the Lord,» and Peter swims out from his boat to the shore. Once more Peter finds himself by a fire being asked questions about his loyalty to Jesus. The first time this happened was around that fire in the courtyard of the Sanhedrin on Good Friday when Peter denied the Lord three times. This time he reaffirms the Lord three times. But that is not enough. He has to do something about his faith. He has to feed the Lord’s sheep. Later on in the chapter we hear about Peter’s eventual death, being made to stretch out his arms and go where he did not want to go. After that there is going to be a few comments about the Beloved Disciple, most probably John, who had been entrusted with Mary under the cross. John and Peter, Peter and John. One the ideal disciple, the other a disciple constantly at war with his own humanity. John was the ideal disciple. He was the only one of the twelve who did not desert the Lord at the Passion. He was the first of the Twelve to believe in the Resurrection. He was loving, trusting and faithful. Peter was the disciple who said one thing and then did another. He was full of bravado until his fear kicked in. He was a leader, but a flawed leader. Still, he made the decision to turn back to the Lord and was willing to accept all sorts of hardship and death to proclaim the Gospel. Peter would eventually journey to Rome, the center of the then known world. He would be arrested there and killed. Tradition says that Peter was crucified with his head down. We would all like to be disciples like John, always faithful and true, so full of love that we recognize the Lord wherever he is, so courageous that we are willing to risk our lives to stand beneath his cross. In reality, though, we are all more like Peter rather than John. At least we are more like Peter when we are at our best. Peter had to struggle with his own humanity, his fear, his impetuousness, but still, he was a true disciple. We continually struggle with our own humanity. We have many temptations to sin. We give in sometimes and then hate what we become. But with the compassion and love of the Lord, we can turn away from all that is black and turn to the Lord. We have to turn to the Lord. He calls us to feed his sheep. We need to eliminate the unrealistic expectations we thrust upon ourselves and others. We grow up having everyone tell us that we are so good, and as little children we might believe that, but when reality kicks in at adolescence and throughout our lives, we tend to get so negative about ourselves that we consider giving up. So we don’t stand for the Lord because we don’t see ourselves as good enough. We forget, He makes us good enough. He makes us infinitely better than we can imagine. He makes others infinitely better too. When we were little, we were convinced that our parents were perfect. Then, somewhere in adolescence, we realized that they were not perfect. For many that was hard to take. The loss of their ideals blinded them to their parents’ virtues. Many young people act as though their parents are the most imperfect people in the world. Maybe we all did that when we were kids. Mark Twain said, as you know, when he was young he was convinced that his father was a fool, but when he became an adult he marveled at how wise his father had become. The change was not in his father, it was in Mark Twain’s recognition of his father’s virtues over his flaws. Applying this to the spiritual life, there are times that we see the imperfections of individuals and are blinded to their virtues. We think that others should be like John, when we should be pleased that they are like Peter. We think we should be like John, when we should thank God for the times that we are like Peter. Peter’s threefold affirmation of the Lord wasn’t just to renounce his three denials of the Lord. He was asked to live his faith by feeding the Lord’s flock. Jesus does not call us to affirm His Presence in our lives for ourselves. He calls us to give witness to His Presence for others. When we recite the creed we proclaim that we are members of one, holy, Catholic and apostolic church. We are called to be apostles. Yes it would be wonderful if we could be ideal apostles like John, but we are real people like Peter. And like Peter, despite our limitations, we can feed the Lord’s sheep • AE
Third Sunday of Easter (2022) @ St. Dominic Catholic Church
Saturday April 30, 2022
5.30 p.m. Holy Mass (English Mass @ Main Church)
Sunday May 1, 2022
7.30 a.m. Holy Mass (English Mass @ Main Church)
10.00 a.m. Holy Mass (English Mass @ Main Church)
12.30 p.m. Holy Mass (English Mass @ Main Church)
3.00 p.m. Holy Mass (Misa en Español @ Main Church)
III Domingo de Pascua
Después de comer con los suyos a la orilla del lago, Jesús inicia una conversación con Pedro. El diálogo es importante: entre los seguidores de Jesús sólo está capacitado para ser guía y pastor quien se distingue por su amor a él. No ha habido ocasión en que Pedro no haya manifestado su adhesión absoluta a Jesús por encima de los demás. Sin embargo, en el momento de la verdad es el primero en negarlo. ¿Qué hay de verdad en su adhesión? ¿Puede ser guía y pastor de los seguidores de Jesús? Antes de confiarle su rebaño, Jesús le hace la pregunta fundamental: ¿Me amas más que estos? No le pregunta: ¿Te sientes con fuerzas? ¿Conoces bien mi doctrina? ¿Te ves capacitado para gobernar a los míos? No. Es el amor a Jesús lo que capacita para animar, orientar y alimentar a sus seguidores como lo hacía él. Pedro le responde con humildad y sin compararse con nadie: Tú sabes que te quiero. Pero Jesús le repite dos veces más su pregunta de manera cada vez más incisiva: ¿Me amas? ¿Me quieres de verdad? La inseguridad de Pedro va creciendo. Cada vez se atreve menos a proclamar su adhesión. Al final siente tristeza. Ya no sabe qué responder: Tú lo sabes todo. A medida que Pedro va tomando conciencia de la importancia del amor, Jesús le va confiando su rebaño para que cuide, alimente y comunique vida a sus seguidores, empezando por los más pequeños y necesitados: los corderos. Con frecuencia se relaciona a jerarcas y pastores sólo con la capacidad de gobernar con autoridad o de predicar con garantía la verdad. Sin embargo, hay adhesiones a Cristo, firmes, seguras y absolutas que, vacías de amor, no capacitan para cuidar y guiar a los seguidores de Jesús. Pocos factores son más decisivos para la conversión de la Iglesia que la conversión de aquellos que somos pastores. Los sacerdotes somos los primeros que hemos de escuchar su pregunta: ¿Me amas más que éstos? ¿Amas a mis corderos y a mis ovejas? • AE
LA MEDITACION DE LA ESPOSA 