Jesus' Trust and Faith in the Apostles

In today’s Gospel, John 21-1-19, Peter and six of his companion apostles go fishing.  They work all night long and catch nothing. Jesus meets them in the morning on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias and asks them if they have caught anything to eat. “No,” they respond.  Jesus suggests that they cast the net over the right side of the boat and “you will find something.” Without hesitation, they do so and caught 153 large fish! 

Following a suggestion that seems ludicrous doesn’t sound like me at all, and perhaps not like you either.  How often have we not been at a task “all night long” with no results? Or, we are considering a task and throw up our hands, saying: “It will not work. Why bother?” And we walk away, doing nothing. What if we had followed the Spirit’s lead and tried one more time and, perhaps, tried a different tactic, one, in fact, that seemed impossible, even foolish!  Sometimes, faith invites us to “cast the net over the right side of the boat,” even though we have been “fishing all night long and caught nothing.”  And how often, like the apostles, who did not recognize Jesus on the shore, do we not recognize the voice of the Spirit inviting us to an action that we think is futile.

Would you and I know Jesus, if the apostles had given up in the face of all of the obstacles they encountered in spreading the faith in Jesus’ resurrection?  Where would you and I be in our spiritual and professional lives, in our interpersonal relationships, in our marriages, in community life lived by women and men religious, if our parents, teachers, mentors or counselors had given up when we rebelled against their guidance?  How will your children develop strong characters if you give up on them?

Where is Your Focus?

In today’s Gospel, John 6: 16-21, the disciples of Jesus are out on the sea traveling to Capernaum at night. Strong winds were blowing, making it dangerous to be out on the waters.  They have rowed 3 or 4 miles and suddenly saw Jesus walking on the waters and coming near the boat. Jesus says: “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

At all times, Jesus knows where you and I are and what circumstances surround us. We could be in calm or tumultuous waters. We could be safe or unsafe! He finds us wherever we are and says: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” We have a choice of focusing on Jesus or on our problems. One focus fills us with peace. The other focus stirs up our fears and anxieties. The choice is ours and is not easy to make. Our problems have a way of overwhelming us, taking possession of us. A suggestion: open the Scriptures to a passage that calms you; the Word of God, Jesus, will take possession of your life and bring you peace.

Divine Origin or Human Origin

What happened in both Scriptures today, Acts 5: 34-42 and John 6: 1-15, reveals the power of God at work in everyday life. In the  Acts of the Apostles,  Gamaliel, “a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,” challenged the members of the Sanhedrin, before whom the Apostles appeared as prisoners.  “…have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourself fighting against God.”  

In the Gospel, Jesus multiplies five barley loaves and two fish to feed 5000 people. Jesus saw a need and responded to it.  Jesus continues feeding millions in the Eucharist every Sunday and throughout the week at every Catholic Mass.  The work of the Apostles has spread throughout the world. No human force is able to destroy the work of those commissioned by Jesus to “go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16: 15).  “…if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourself fighting against God.”

Three things: 1) If what I am pursuing in my life is of God, it will endure. If the activity in which I am involved is God’s will for me, I will succeed in it, even when I meet obstacles or others are opposing me and the work I am doing.  2) If the origin of that to which I am opposed  is of divine origin—be that something in my own life  or the life of another--I could be fighting against God. 3) God will raise others up at the right time to confront those who want to harm me, as He did for the Apostles before the Sanhedrin.  God has my back!

Unflinching faith of Peter and the Apostles

In today’s first reading, Acts 5: 27-33, the Apostles are brought before the Sanhedrin and are questioned by the high priest, accusing them of teaching in Jesus’ name when they have been ordered to stop doing so.  Peter and the Apostles are unafraid and firmly state that they must obey God, not human beings. Without flinching, Peter and the Apostles stand up to their accusers, to those who are likely to throw them into prison, flog them and even have them put to death.  The faith of Peter and the Apostles is unwavering. They keep their focus on the Lord Jesus, whom God has “exalted…at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.” Peter and the Apostles will not stop giving witness to this truth and reminding the leaders of Israel, and us, that they “killed [Jesus] by hanging him on a tree.”

How strong is my faith/your faith?  When we are being confronted by unbelievers, by those who are bent on our destruction, our demise, on silencing us or tripping us up so as to condemn us or prove us wrong, do we stand up to them or back down and go along with the crowd? Do we back down from doing what is right out of fear of other people’s reactions?  Do we give into the temptation to please others when doing so is against God’s will for us?

Sin and its consequences—eternal death for unrepentant sinners and unbelievers—and God’s will that we all be saved from sin by the only One who can save us, God Incarnate, “killed [Jesus] by hanging him on a tree.” And, if necessary, the Incarnate God would do it again to save every single one of us. That is God’s love, God’s mercy and God’s compassion for each one of us. Yes, God loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, God Incarnate, to be sin for us and nail sin to the cross. 

I believe this. What is your belief?  I praise and thank God for this love, this mercy, this compassion. For what do you praise and thank God?

Darkness or Light: A Choice!

In today’s Gospel, John 3: 16-21, the evangelist reminds us that “the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his [or her] works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his [or her] works may be clearly seen as done in God.”

Let’s write that as though John were addressing us personally. It would read as follows:  “When you prefer darkness to light, you do so because your works were evil.  When you do what is wrong, you hate the light and avoid coming toward the light, so that ‘ your works might not be exposed.’  But when you live the truth, you come to the light, so that your ‘works may be clearly seen as done in God.’”

How true John is! When I have done wrong, the last thing I want is to have my wrongdoing exposed, so what do I do? Avoid the light, that is, avoid the person who will confront my deceitfulness or sinfulness.  When I have done wrong, I shudder at being found out. If  I have grown spiritually, however,  and realize that Jesus, the Light of the world, comes into my darkness, not to scold me or condemn me, but to “put on the light,” so to speak, and lead me to safety, then I do not succumb to fear.  In my maturity, I realize that confronting my wrongdoing is a grace that leads to my freedom, to intimacy with the Lord, to wholeness and holiness.  When spiritually mature, I do not shun truth but seek it. Spiritually mature persons know the value of acknowledging the truth, facing the truth and being brought into the Light.  Easy? No! But worth the sacrifice made possible for us by Jesus’ death and resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit, who overshadows us so that we are able to give birth to truth and welcome the freedom won for us on the Cross!

Being Born from Above

In today’s Gospel, John 3: 7b-15, Jesus tells Nicodemus that he “must be born from above,” that “the wind blows where it wills,” that we “do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Furthermore, Jesus reminds us in this Gospel that  “just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” 

I looked upon this passage in light of my experience of having little or no energy on some days and then again having a surge of energy.  Being the person that I am, I have a very difficult time not having the energy which I need to accomplish what I want to accomplish on a given day. I entered into the following conversation with my mother, who is in heaven:

Mom, this lack of energy is getting to me. But I am ashamed of complaining about it. Look at what you endured with your cancer.

Dort (the name I was called as a child), I understand your complaint. It is difficult to not have the energy you want in order to do what you feel called to do. Be patient and compassionate toward yourself. Cultivating these virtues is significant in living as Jesus lived, that is, saying “yes” to God’s will in accepting circumstances beyond your control.  It is not about what you accomplish or how productive you are that matters in life. It is the interior life of faith that matters uppermost.

Thank you, Mom.

Dort, God is taking you on the most important of journey of your life, that is,  the journey of faith and trust in God, your Savior.  It is the way of humility and love.  This is the time for you to grow in your understanding of what it means to walk by faith, not by sight.  It is the time to believe in the “blowing wind” of the Spirit  doing the will of God in you, in others and in the world.  You see It and then you don’t.

This is the time in your life to ascend in faith, looking upon Him whom we have pierced and nailed to the cross. Look upon Him who is redeeming you in the circumstances of life and inviting you to descend into your lowliness and lack of energy.  Low energy: testing your faith. High energy: affirming your faith.

Mom, this is difficult. 

Dort, “you must be born from above”  (Today’s Gospel: John 3: 7b-15).   That, Dort, is what God is doing in you now.  It is not your work but His. On occasion, God opens your eyes to realize that He is doing more in you now than you can imagine. Trust God, Dort. Trust Him!

Go Fishing: Jesus Will Meet You Where You Are

In today’s Gospel, John 21: 1-14, the disciples—Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael and James and John –decide to go fishing.  They go back to their old way of living!  Jesus is very much aware of what they are  doing and  meets on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias. “Have you caught anything to eat,” Jesus asks them. They respond:  “No!” Jesus then instructs them to cast their net on the right side of the boat “and you will find something.”  The catch is huge: 153 large fish. John then recognizes the man on the shore: “It is the Lord.” When they drag in the fish and come ashore, they notice that Jesus is preparing breakfast for them and ask for some of the catch.

What do we learn from this story? First of all, it is okay to go fishing! Sometimes we need to go back to old ways to meet the Lord.  Notice that the Lord does not scold them. He simply ask if they have caught anything to eat. He is concerned about their well-being physically, about the mundane things of every day life. They are as important to Him as anything else about our lives. 

We also learn that sometimes, we need to leave “the couch” and go do something for fun or to provide for our sustenance. We also learn that Jesus cares about us to the point of preparing a meal for us! He does that every Eucharist, a meal that nourishes us spiritually, cleanses our hearts and minds and wills of anything that obstructs the flow of grace, that strengthens us on the journey to eternal life. 

What a God we have--a God who is fully incarnate: One of us, One with us, One who works through us, as in the first reading of today’s liturgy that references the healing of crippled man through Peter and John’s calling on Jesus’ name.  We, too, have all of the privileges which the apostles experienced!