Friday within the
Octave of Easter
(Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14)
Ken Untener was bishop of Saginaw, Michigan, for
twenty-four years. He organized the
diocese so well that he found time to give workshops on preaching nation-wide. Two years ago a book of his homilies was
published posthumously. It was entitled My Name Is Ken and I Will Be Your Waiter a Long,
Long Time. The name of Jesus might be substituted for Ken to understand today’s gospel.
Like a waiter, Jesus has food prepared for his
guests. He will be serving his disciples
until the end of time. His food will
nourish them so that they might go forth and tell others about God’s love. In the gospel his food is bread and fish. These are symbols for his very self – his body
and spirit – that sustain his disciples in hardship and bring them true
happiness.
We come forward to receive Jesus’ body and spirit in the
Eucharist. Doing so, we identify with
Christ’s disciples. We then have to go out
to others telling them of God’s ever-gracious care.
