Third Sunday of Easter-Year C
April 14, 2013
Year of Faith
What will you do when everything you have suddenly disappeared?
Or that the only person or thing you hope for will go away or leave you behind and
vanish? or die and/or turn into ashes? How about if someone leaves or forsakes
us, and he or she
will be no longer with us, are there still enthusiasm to
go on in us, to continue dreaming,
striving for us to be more steady, and still
living together and
mutually supporting one another for
better future, despite the lost? Or do
we just give up,
that’s for sure we just drop all because our world comes to an end,
for our companion is no longer here present? And are all our efforts,
plans and all that we have saved will just turn into nothing, like dust
in the wind, and will let them put
to rot until
they all dissolve into nothing? And,
are they seem nothing, seem no more life
in us, no life, (walang kalatuy-latoy), worthless life in us; as if though nothing happened after all those
intimate years of integration, after all those long experiences partaken, and those encounters shared and all the unifying ways we have done?
All this and more are
the experiences, feelings
and thoughts the
Apostles Peter, John,
James, Andrew and other disciples are undergoing now when the
Lord Jesus Christ was arrested, judged,
tortured, and later carrying and nailed on the cross,
until he died and was buried in the tomb.
For the Apostles and
disciples, the Lord
was dead and gone, and so also their
faith, hope and love
are finished. For them also everything is buried in the tomb, and
therefore they are also dead; for
as they thought
Jesus was dead and
disappeared forever, due to their
unclear mind and lack of faith in the resurrection.
So Peter, still in his younger age, is stripping
his garments and saying to his
companions that he will just going back to fishing. And, together with his associates, they also agreeing to
Peter by saying that they will join him in fishing, that is for sure they wanted to
say also that, “Let us go back to our old ways;”
they are going back to what they did
before, from their former lives; for
anyway, everything is totally gone, most
of all their Leader, Friend, Teacher or Master and Lord Jesus Christ.
With the same thought, feelings and experiences of the Apostles and disciples,
do we want also to go on our own individually? And/or
do what we would like to do as we did before, with no more
caring, with no more concern for one another and no more plans for our brighter
future? Anyhow, all the things we
care about are totally gone, dead or
turned into ashes and blown by the wind.
Even our expectations, hopes
and dreams are dead after our Lord Jesus Christ
died. We are just up to here and no more. But,
are we really sure that is the end of the world for us and is it up until here
only?
When the rest of the group of Peter, (i.e., James and John,
Andrew and others) returning at sea
or in their old
ways, why is it they were not able to catch fish even though they
were at the sea all night long? Why is it the school of fish
becomes distant yet very near to them, they are only about a
hundred yards along the shore? And
why even the shore is as if very
far from them?
The answer is because
their former life and their daily usual routines were changed
when Jesus Christ came into their lives. They
who were trained or
skilled in fishing
and they knew
the sea, for here they grew up and lived, as
they mastered the
depth or even the shores of the Sea
of Galilee. Even the movement of the sea waves,
they have known how much or little fish
present in that area. And in every catapult or throw of their nets into the
water, they were sure they could catch many
fishes. But despite
all of this expertise – of being trained
fishermen, as their livelihood and even their family
business, they rejected them all,
and followed and joined in Jesus’ movement; so that,
they were more
alive inside out, their hopes were raised higher, there were more freedom
in the little world they were in;
they reached unexpected places, being
in convergence with different
kinds of people (rich, poor, powerful, slaves,
healthy, weak, educated, ignorant, etc.). They
were also taught of the wisdom of heavenly things as well as combating
the evil ones, and being taught
also of justice and respect for all. Freedom
was given to them from their bondage
to selfish self; and
they had a new
way, a new reality, a new life. And all of this
is because of Jesus Christ,
their Friend, Teacher, Master and Lord!
But now that Jesus Christ was dead and gone, so also they lost (for the meantime) what they have learned
and experienced from
him, and that they will no longer
continue the work
He had taught them. Is it just like
that, just as if Jesus was not true to what He promised?
And as expected the unexpected, it is
unthinkable for Peter, James and John, Andrew and
others who were in the boats to be called and told by someone from the bank of the shore at such time of early morning dawn where
they can catch more fish, actually as it is recorded, about 153
large fish. As usual, the true lover is more able to know his beloved, said: “It is the Lord!” And having heard
this, they all found life in them again.
They become persuasive and strong again,
and hope restored in them once more.
Suddenly, everything now is clearer as morning dawn. They understand now what is going to happen to
them, especially to Peter when he grows old and how he will die. And, at that very moment, Simon Peter quickly dressed
himself up again in his nakedness. (Maybe this refers to Adam (and even to Eve) when
he was in Paradise naked and without malice, but after sinning he covered his
nakedness). He put on again the clothes he threw –
that is his new life, authority and disposition
- of faith, hope and
love to the Lord, in service to the people of God. Now,
as they conquer fear and regain their courage, all the
Apostles and disciples are ready to follow the Lord
Jesus Christ, as the new day dawn, at the table set by the Lord with
bread and some fish. And to make sure that
they know what
they are going to do when he departs, He asked them,
through Simon Peter as their representative and leader, three
times: “Do you love me more than these? (pointing to the 153 fishes more or less representing the total number of nations known in
the ancient Near East, or to their boats (former life) and clothes (old habits)
they want to revert or go back). Three times also they responded that they would like
to prove to Jesus their love
and obedience to Him.
From the Sea of Tiberias and now to the Temple in Jerusalem, in front of
the Jewish leaders (the Sanhedrin), they are more prepared to obey God rather than men (or themselves), courageous
enough to announce the Holy Name of Jesus as witnesses of His
resurrection. Now, they believed in the
Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, although He departed them is
still in them and in us. They and as we
are now displaying their and our trust again in His word and promise, that although He is leaving them and us, He is still upon us, through his flock – the lambs,
the sheep, the people of God - by continuing serving them by
loving, feeding and caring his flocks He left to us
. . . And even if He leaves us,
our Lord Jesus
Christ will remain in us until the
end of time.
Personal Experience
When my parents died, I thought it’s the
end of the world because they supported me, guided me, helping me to become
strong, independent and wise. I did not
realize that they trained me and given me all the possibilities to become more
mature and self-sufficient, and to have a sense of self-sacrifice for others, so
that I can stand straight even when strong typhoons, winds, etc. (problems)
come into my life. What I was thinking
about the death of my parents was that I’m alone, abandoned, an orphan. But, after a while, it came to my mind, to my
senses, that my parents are still with me, still present in my life, for they
were able to teach me despite of their absence all the facts of life. All they have taught me, I should have used them
to continue their presence in my life, until we meet again in the next life. Nevertheless, I cannot forget them and still
remember them all the days of my life because I love them very much. Nay, Tay, I love you! Lelang, Lelong, Lola, Lolo, ate Solly, mga
kamag-anak, pinsan, kaibigan at kakilala, mga nabensiyonan, at kayong nasa
kabilang buhay na . . . I still love and
miss you all. Rest assured that I will always
pray for you to God our Almighty Father!
