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"It is the Lord!"
Apr
22
Written by:
Sunday, April 22, 2007
3rd Sunday of Easter
April 22, 2007
Jesus makes many appearances after he rises from the dead. Yet it remains curious that Jesus is very frequently not recognized on sight; even when he speaks, his voice does not give him away, even by those who lived with him and loved him! Somehow, the resurrected body was different enough such that Jesus and his followers had to become reacquainted with him. The disciples traveling to Emmaus experienced this, and so did Mary Magdalene.
As the scene opens in this Sunday's gospel (John 20) , the disciples have returned to Galilee and have gone fishing together, perhaps to take their minds off the recent traumatic events in Jerusalem. As it happened, they had fished all night and caught nothing. Meanwhile, Jesus appears on the shore and has built a charcoal fire. While the disciples are still some distance from him, Jesus begins to dialogue with the disciples, though they are still unaware of just who is speaking to them. Suddenly, Jesus gives them a hint: Try the other side of the boat and you will catch something. And they hauled in so many fish the boat almost sank. This miracle tipped one of them off. It is the Lord!
In our own lives, how very often Jesus seems to prefer coming in disguise. For example, when we receive the host or the chalice at Mass, our senses see and taste bread and wine, but our faith cries out, it is the Lord!
Jesus is hidden within the faces of the people that cross our paths each day, especially the inconvenient, the needy and even our families, friends and co-workers. For it was Jesus himself who said, what you did for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me (Mt 25:40). The trick lies in recognizing him.
When illness strikes or financial issues mount, when we are worried about loved ones or other problems weigh us down, we may feel like the disciples out in that boat, fishing all night long without a catch. Then we can take comfort in the crucifix, for he is still here: It is the Lord. Jesus is not just a "good times" God, but wishes to be with us in our struggles and hard times, too. The crucifix tells us that he has been there, too. Always and everywhere in our lives, it is the Lord.
Father Gary
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