Scripture:
Reflection:
Experiencing someone coming back to life after you clearly knew they were dead has got to rock your world. A week earlier you were walking to Jerusalem with visions of triumphalism in your mind. You didn’t know exactly what was going to unfold, but you were with Jesus, which gave you and the whole group confidence. And then the bottom fell out. Jesus was murdered. This event shattered your hopes and expectations and left you asking, “Now what?” The grieving has gone on for a couple of days and you are dealing with deep emotions, confusion and perplexity.
The readings today are two snapshots taken at two different times after the resurrection. The Gospel of John would be an account between the crucifixion and Pentecost. The disciples are no longer in Jerusalem. Instead, they are back north fishing in the Sea of Tiberius also known as the Sea of Galilee. We find Peter, James, and John back doing what they grew up doing, fishing. It makes sense that a person who experiences absolute chaos or trauma would go back to doing what they have known so well. They would seek comfort. Getting back to something familiar, and into a familiar routine helps this discombobulation. Grounding this behavior in the serenity of nature can only help to settle the turbulence within. So now they are on the shores, right back to the beginning where they originally met Jesus, fishing in the waters of familiarity.
What a contrast the account from Acts of the Apostles is from the Gospel. The disciples are no longer confused or frightened. Transformed by the glory of the resurrection and filled with the Holy Spirit they are challenging people to believe in the Resurrected Christ. It is yet another classic Lukan narrative. No one can deny the miraculous healing of the crippled man who everyone knew as he sat by the Beautiful Gate leading out from the city of Jerusalem. And Peter takes no credit. He is quick to give the credit for the healing not to themselves but to the Resurrected One. This miraculous event doesn’t have a happy ending for everyone. Recall Jesus had promised his disciples as he has promised us, that persecutions will come if we are true to his name.
In my overview of the resurrection stories this Easter Season, one of the things that stands out is the theme of believing. Starting first with the disciples, Mark, Luke, and John highlight the disciples’ initial inability to believe. Jesus will actually call them “Slow to believe.” The tension builds in Acts of the Apostles between those who believe and those who will not believe, as seen in today’s first reading. This tension will continue to escalate in the early church, and years later, when John the Evangelist writes his Gospel, he will include it as a major theme in the expression of his account.
My takaways from these readings are threefold:
- Because every day is unique and different, not every day do I walk past the Beautiful Gate; therefore, not every day am I asked to heal the man who was crippled. But I do need to be attentive to the invitations of the Spirit and the presence of the resurrected Christ. And this starts by not letting selfishness take the lead in my life. There will be those days when the Spirit is certainly willing to do something extraordinary. Am I attentive?
- In my daily attentiveness, I see acts of the Resurrected Christ in day-to-day life. It may look like forgiveness, kindness, compassion or any of the fruits of the Spirit. Recognizing them and realizing that Christ is present in those moments verifies the reality of the resurrection. Certainly, this strengthens our faith as we indeed are believers.
- The kindness of Jesus continues to seek us out and bring us back when we have traveled far. And the tenderness in Christ’s demeanor as he persistently connects with the fragility of humanity is highly reflective of the truth of who God is.
May God’s abundant goodness be yours in this Easter Season.
Fr. David Colhour, C.P. is the Provincial Superior of Holy Cross Province. He resides in Chicago, Illinois.