Friday in the Octave of Easter
THERE IS NO OTHER NAME
BY WHICH WE ARE SAVED
Introduction
All evangelists underline the disciples’ difficulty of recognizing the Risen Lord. First, they do not realize that he is there, and that he is just like a stranger; then, usually as a consequence of a word or action, it dawns on them that it is the Lord; and those who love him most – today John – usually recognize him first. The Risen Lord is quite different in appearance from the Jesus whom they had known before his death and resurrection.
Though their faith in the resurrection was difficult and slow, still it is the heart of the apostolic preaching: the risen Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and our lives. As with the apostles, he stays with us when we are toiling.
Opening Prayer
Our God and Father,
through our Risen Lord, your Son, Jesus Christ,
you have given us a message of hope
and a person to live for.
Free our faith from triviality and routine
and fill us with his Spirit of courage,
that we may learn to live
with the insecurities of the change of renewal
ever-demanded by the Gospel
and by the needs of the times.
May our Christian living bear witness
to the name of him by whom we are saved,
Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord,
Reading 1:Acts 4:1-12
After the crippled man had been cured,
while Peter and John were still speaking to the people,
the priests, the captain of the temple guard,
and the Sadducees confronted them,
disturbed that they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
They laid hands on Peter and John
and put them in custody until the next day,
since it was already evening.
But many of those who heard the word came to believe
and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes
were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest,
Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
and all who were of the high-priestly class.
They brought them into their presence and questioned them,
“By what power or by what name have you done this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them,
“Leaders of the people and elders:
If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;
in his name this man stands before you healed.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:1-2 and 4,22-24,25-27a
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has given us light.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia: Ps 118:24
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel:Jn 21:1-14
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
Intercessions
– For the Church, that it may continue proclaiming the Good News of the Risen Lord and bearing witness to him, even if these annoy outsiders or even some of its own members, we pray:
– For our Christian communities, that without fear we may live our faith openly and do what is right and good in the name of Jesus, we pray:
– For all and each of us that we may recognize with faith and love the presence of the Lord in one another, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
you put good words on our tongue
and you fill our hands with good gifts;
you entrust even your Son to us
and place him in our hands.
Through him then, and together with him,
let us become to the world
your word and your gift, your sign of hope,
and make us capable of bearing witness
to your love for people.
We ask you this, in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our Father,
your Son Jesus, invited us today
to come and eat the food of himself,
which he had prepared for us.
May we too, invite people far and near
to share the table of the things we have
and of the best that is in us –
our love and compassion, our encouraging word,
and our presence to one another.
May this be the sign to those around us,
that your risen Son lives among us,
now and for ever.
Blessing
May we raise up one another and bring one another healing and peace in the name of our Risen Lord, Jesus. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
Octave of Easter, Friday
5 April 2024
Jn 21:1-14
A God who cooks breakfast for you!
The Gospel according to John makes two references to charcoal fires. Those two stories are connected: first, at Peter’s denial of the Lord and second, at his rehabilitation. On the night before the Lord’s passion, it was at a fireplace that he denied Jesus thrice by saying, “I don’t even know the man” (Matthew 26:72-74). It is possible that the fire on the shore, with Jesus standing beside, reminded him of his denial of his Master.
It is mentioned in today’s gospel reading that “None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord”. They knew that only Christ could love them to that extent. In fact, during the crucial moments of Christ’s life, all the disciples deserted him. Eventually, they reunited at the same place where he had first called them. He comes again to search for them by the Sea of Tiberias, calling out to them a second time. He walks at their pace because love is patient. Love can patiently wait, knowing that, ultimately, there is goodness in everyone.
Jesus ensured two things on the banks of Tiberias: First, he never blamed them for their disloyalty but rather embraced them as they were. Second, he appreciated their hard work and invited them to take some fish from what they had gathered to make the breakfast still delicious. There is a touching simplicity and intimacy in the Risen Lord , who cooks fish on a charcoal fire and invites his friends to have some breakfast.
In true love, all imperfections of the other person disappear. “Lord, grant me the grace to seek your mercy and offer it to others.”