MASS READINGS
April 17, 2020 (Readings on USCCB website)
COLLECT PRAYER
Almighty ever-living God, who gave us the Paschal Mystery in the covenant you established for reconciling the human race, so dispose our minds, we pray, that what we celebrate by professing the faith we may express in deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
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"Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!"
Over the charcoal fire, Peter is given the opportunity to tell Jesus he loves Him, three times, repairing for his triple denial of Christ at His Passion.
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Meditation: Discovering Christ in the Events of our Life
The Apostles have left Jerusalem for Galilee as the Lord had told them to. They are there beside the lake: at the same place or at one similar to the one where Jesus found them and invited them to follow him. Now they have gone back to the old occupations they had when the Lord first called them. Jesus finds them again immersed in their work. And He revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. There are seven of them out fishing. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing’. They said to him, ‘we will go with you’. They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.
At dawn Jesus stood on the beach. The risen Jesus comes seeking his own, to strengthen them in the Faith and in his friendship and to continue explaining to them the great mission that awaits them. His disciples did not know that it was Jesus; they still don’t recognize Him. They are about a hundred yards from land. At this distance, at daybreak, they cannot make out the man’s features very well, but they can hear as soon as He began to speak: Friends, have you caught anything? the Lord asks them. They answered him, ‘No”. He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some’. And Peter obeys. So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. John confirms Peter’s inner conviction. Bending towards him he says It is the Lord. Peter, who has been holding himself back until that moment, suddenly takes a leap as if he has been given a push. He doesn’t wait til the boats get to the shore. As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he girded up his tunic and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
John’s love immediately recognized the Lord on the shore: It is the Lord! Love, love is farsighted. Love is the first to appreciate kindness. The adolescent Apostle, who felt a deep and firm affection for Jesus, because he loved Christ with all the purity and tenderness of a heart that had never been corrupted, exclaimed: ‘It is the Lord!’ (Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God).
During the night, on their own, in the absence of Christ, they had laboured in vain. They had been wasting their time. In the morning, when it was light, when Jesus was present, when He gave light with his word, when He directed the operation, the nets were completely filled as they were brought to land.
The same thing happens to us every day. In the absence of Christ the day becomes night, an empty night, just another day in our life. Our efforts are not enough by themselves; we need God for them to bear fruit. By the side of Christ, when we have him with us, our days are enriched. Pain and illness are converted into a treasure that lasts beyond death: with Jesus by our side the question of living with those who surround us becomes a whole world of possibilities for doing good: opportunities for attention, encouragement, cordiality, prayer for others…
The real tragedy for a Christian starts when he can no longer see Jesus in his life; when because of lukewarmness or sin or pride, the horizon becomes clouded over; when things are done as if Jesus were not by his side, as if the Lord had never risen from the dead.
We should pray to Our Lady asking her to help us to discover Our Lod in the midst of all the events of our lives; so that we may be able to say very often, It is the Lord! And this, too, whether it be a case of suffering or of joy, whatever the circumstances. By Christ’s side, always near him, we will be apostles in the middle of the world, in all circumstances and situations.
—Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Daily Meditations Volume Two: Lent-Holy Week-Eastertide
Friday in the Octave of Easter
Station with Santa Maria ad Martyres in Campo Marzio (Pantheon) (Our Lady and all the Martyrs, the Pantheon):
In Rome, the Station is at the church of St. Mary ad Martyrs. It was the ancient Pantheon of Agrippa, and had been dedicated to all the false gods; it was given by the Emperor Phocas to St. Boniface IV, who consecrated it to the Mother of God and all the martyrs. "At Rome the neophytes pilgrimage to the Queen of Martyrs and a week after the crucifixion behold the Cross in the brightness of Easter glory" (Pius Parsch).
For more on Santa Maria ad Martyres in Campo Marzio (Pantheon), see:
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.
