THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
(White) Cycle C/Year II (April 10, 2016)
Acts 5:27-32. 40-41; Rv 5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19
The disciples of Jesus were fishing the whole night but they caught nothing. Jesus appeared to them early morning of the following day and asked them if they caught anything. When they replied “no”, Jesus instructed them with these words: “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something” (Jn 21:6a). They did as instructed and behold, they caught a lot of fish.
There are times when like the disciples of Jesus, we work all day night and for a long time yet it seems that we not going any further. It seems that our hard labors do not yield anything. In times like this, we have to remember that the Risen Lord does not abandon us. He is always there ready to help us. In fact, like what happened in the Gospel, Jesus Christ cares for us so much so that He makes the initiative to relate with us. He asked the disciples if they caught something. Jesus is also doing something to relate with us. If we do not recognize His initiative, maybe we are simply busy with our daily activities. Our attention is focused on our present concerns in our lives that we are unaware that we already ignore the initiative of God to communicate with us.
If we develop our spiritual life, we will often recognize the initiatives of God in our lives. We develop our spiritual life through constant prayer, faithfully fulfilling the will of God and the teachings of Jesus and of His Church, loving our neighbor, forgiving our enemies, helping the needy, etc. We develop our spiritual life by prioritizing God in our lives and making Him the supreme principle of our lives.
On the other hand, when we try our best to develop our spiritual life and the same thing of fruitlessness happens to us in spite of our endeavors, we should not lose our hope. Jesus is always there ready to help us. We already know the message of Jesus to us: Cast the net. We just continue doing what we ought to do and do it with love for God; soon, we will see its result. God will shower us with a lot of blessings, not only in our works but even in our personal lives and the lives of our loved ones.
Indeed, the Lord is risen and His presence is everywhere because He loves us all. He is concerned about us for He cares for us. Because of God’s great love for us, He initiates to communicate with us in many ways all the days of our lives. Through our deepened spiritual life, we will be sensitive to the initiatives of God.
The resurrected Lord continues to do His mission on earth. In His mission, Jesus involves us all as His instruments. As Christians, we are His eyes, mouth, hands and feet. He can only fulfill His mission here on earth with our active cooperation. To realize this, He has commissioned us with the same words: Cast the net. Let us fulfill our mission as Christians of loving God by serving our neighbor especially those who are in need.
