Message of Abbot Paul - Easter Friday
Message from Fr Paul for Friday, 22nd April 2022
Yesterday we all prayed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on her 96th birthday, asking God to bless her with every heavenly grace and virtue, that she might continue to lead us by example in fidelity, rectitude and hope. At these difficult times she is a light burning brightly on a dark horizon. I also had the good fortune to visit Fr Simon at his parish of Weobley and Kington in the heart of the Herefordshire countryside. We had an exquisite lunch at a local restaurant, then visited the historic church of St Mary at Dilwyn, an extraordinary building in many ways. It was lovely to see Ukrainian flags flying everywhere, reflecting the blue and yellow of our English spring flowers. With the warm, sunny weather, it was a touch of Paradise.
---
Our Gospel reading today takes us back to John, (Jn 21: 1-14), which recounts a meeting between Jesus with his disciples on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius, Lake Galilee, his third appearance according to John. “Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.” We know that the message given to the women both by the angels and by Jesus himself on the first day of the week was that the disciples should return to Galilee where they would see Jesus. In this account only seven disciples are mentioned. They were fishermen and they have returned to their work. Although they work hard all night, they catch nothing and are disappointed, but Jesus is not with them. It’s with the light of dawn that Jesus appears on the shore.
“It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.”
They don’t recognise him: was it still dark? But he speaks to them and calls them friends, yet, like Mary Magdalene in the garden, they still fail to recognise him. Even so, they obey him and throw out the net to starboard. The catch is great and immediate. It is now that the beloved disciple recognises Jesus and says to Simon Peter, “It is the Lord.” In typical Petrine fashion, Peter jumps overboard and wades towards Jesus, reminding us of the time he walked with Jesus on the water.
“As soon as they came ashore, they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.” There’s a lot of detail here and various levels of meaning. Did Jesus bring that picnic or were there booths on the shore serving bread and grilled fish? We don’t know, but Jesus sems to be doing the cooking, so invites them to add some of their catch to the barbeque, so that there will be enough for everyone, and also to show that what he had brought and what they contribute at his request provide equal nourishment. The whole episode is eucharistic in nature and it’s a new call of Jesus to the disciples to come and follow him, the risen Lord. They are to break the fast of mourning for his death and rejoice that he is risen from the dead and alive. They are now to know and serve him as the Lord. What a wonderful reading this is.
