Friday, April 9, 2021

 Friday within the Octave of Easter

 (Acts 4:1-12; John 21:1-14)

 In every regular mass this week – actually from Sunday to Sunday – the gospel provides an account of an appearance of the risen Jesus.  Although these accounts bear some marks of editorial expansion, they assure readers of the resurrection as a fact of history.  The nature of the resurrection is actually trans-historical which 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, provide an explanation of the empty tomb, the circumstantial evidence for the resurrection.

 Today’s gospel appearance takes place on the Sea of Tiberias.  It seems strange that Jesus’ disciples would return to their former occupations after being commissioned to go forth with the Holy Spirit and forgive sins.  Yet many people who have profound religious experiences begin to question their beliefs and may become almost indifferent to what happened to them.  Jesus, true to his promise, does not abandon his disciples but appears to them again to reissue the mandate to go forth and preach forgiveness.  This is expressed symbolically as he says, “’Cast your net over the right side…’”

 Many people dismiss the gospel accounts of the resurrection appearances as exaggerated dramatizations of psychological experiences, literally fish stories.  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 some explanation of their reasonableness.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, we want to testify to their veracity by living holy lives.