Friday within the
Octave of Easter
(Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14)
In every mass this week – actually from Monday to Sunday
– the gospel tells of an appearance of the risen Jesus. Although the accounts bear marks of editorial
expansion, they assure readers of the resurrection as a fact of history. The resurrection is a trans-historical event. This means that it has never been duplicated
in history. But reliable witnesses
testify that Jesus appeared to them in the flesh. Their stories, especially when considered in
total, explain the empty tomb. Thus the stories go beyond circumstantial evidence for the resurrection.
Today’s gospel appearance takes place on the Sea of Tiberius. It may seem strange that Jesus’ disciples
would return to their former occupations after seeing Jesus. After all, he equipped them with the Holy
Spirit to forgive sins. Yet many people
who have had profound religious experiences begin to question their beliefs. Sometimes they become almost indifferent to
what happened to them. Jesus, true to
his promise, does not abandon his disciples in their questioning. Rather, he appears to them again and reissues
the mandate to go forth and preach forgiveness.
This is expressed symbolically in today’s passage when he says, “’Cast
your net over the right side…’”
Many people dismiss the gospel accounts of the
resurrection appearances. They see them as
fishing stories; that is, exaggerations of wonderful experiences. These skeptics challenge us believers to
explain the possibility of the stories’ ever taking place. We should respond to the challenge in at
least two ways. First, we need to study
the gospel accounts with the help of faithful commentators so that we may
provide explanation of their reasonableness. Second, we want to testify to their veracity
by living truly changed and holy lives.
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