Third Sunday of Easter year c
SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C.
Acts. 5: 27-32, 40-41,
Ps. 30,
Rev. 5: 11-14,
John 21: 1-19
OBEDIENCE OPENS ALL DOORS.
Today's readings open us to a series of treasures Which are necessary for a life of happiness and peace. In the gospel text, the apostles had fished all night and caught nothing and were returning to the shore when an UNKNOWN person from the shore called out to them asking if they had caught something. At their answer, he ordered them to throw their net again at the side of the boat and they OBEYED him. Though there were closed to the shore and knew that fishes don't abound around the shore, they still threw their net in obedience. We are most often in such situations at countless moments of our lives when we have toiled hard and have nothing to show for it and when we have given out our best and yet still failed and discouraged we walk slowly away. At such moments we close our ears to everything and rather open our eyes expecting to see a miracle but most often we refuse to hear the voice of Christ Calling us not to give up and to try again. This voice can come from anywhere and can be that of a total stranger. The most important is not where the voice is from or who owns the voice but rather how we react to the voice. Let's note that the people in the boat didn't know who was talking neither did they know who he was but they listened to his voice and they obeyed. They had nothing to lose since they were already in the water and they cast their nets. This simple act of obedience won for them a net full of fish and crowned all the efforts they had done all night.
Often times, we just need a little push and direction to attain success but our frustrations and fears, our doubts and pains stop us from reaching the point of success. We do not need to see before we obey, we do not need to know who is giving the order before we obey all we need is to know that what we are being asked to do is for our good and is not impossible. God will never ask us to do the impossible but will always call us to go the extra mile to put in a little more effort. That little effort isn't always our initiative but that of Christ and it's fructification comes from the fact that Christ blesses it and rewards us for obeying him. Today let's learn how to obey the voice of Christ who speaks to us in various ways and at different places and through different people.
The first reading blows a stronger whistle when the apostles affirm that the Holy Spirit is given to those who OBEY GOD. Obedience gives us a lot and opens us to God's blessings and also to his Spirit. So I say obey God.
When we obey God and he blesses us, we still have one more thing to do and that's to give him back all that he has given us. Most of what we receive is still to be processed and refined for a better use. The apostles obeyed God and caught a huge number of fishes but then they needed to struggle to draw the blessings to themselves. When they got to the shore, the Lord had a more perfect version of the blessing and ready for use and to receive the ready blessing, we have to bring back the one He has given us so that he refines it and perfects it. The Lord had fish already ready on the charcoal fire but he called the apostles to bring the ones they have caught and in return he gave them that which was ready. We too have received many gifts from God but some of us don't get the blessings because we do not accept to pull them out of the place where they are. Some of us will see the blessings and let them go because we won't accept to do the little sacrifices that come With the blessings. The apostles had to haul the net in. We too have to fight and pull down the obstacles to our blessings and haul in our blessings. But for us to do that we have to struggle through the hardship standing between us and the blessings. And when we have hauled in the blessings, let's hand them back to God who alone can better refine them and make them suit us. No one can better teach us how to use what we have than he who gave it to us. The gifts we have Received came from someone and he who gave us is calling us to rebring them to him so that he can refine them and make them fit for our well-being. All that the Lord has given us let's take them back to him and he shall perfect them for us.
Another interesting things in today's readings is the profession of love. And today the Lord God is asking us all; do u love me more than all these others do? I know we all will profess our love for God and say we love him but his question is not whether or not we love but the extend to Which we love him. How much do you love me? That's the question the Lord is asking us. Is your love for me greater than the love of others or do you love me just as others do? Loving God is not a formality but a necessity for grwoth and transformation of life. Peter understood that having a particular love for God will lead him to places that might be fatal for him. He surely recalled how his zealous love led him to the denial and to the risk of death. When Christ asked him about the depth of his love, Peter only professed a brotherly love and Christ questioned him about sacrificial love, Peter remained on brotherly love with all assurance. This didn't stop Christ from reminding him that even brotherly love requires sacrifices and pains. We are invited to step up our love for Christ and to accept the persecutions that come with it. When one decides to love Christ particularly, others point to him as being this or that. Some even ridicule you, others torment you and torture you. This makes alot of people to hide their Christian identify and follow the crowd so that they don't appear different. But today Christ is telling us not be scared of all this but to excel in love for him and loving him more than others do. It is by loving him more and more than he gives himself to us and makes us guardians with him over our brothers and sisters.
Let's today choose to obey the voice of Christ above that of the world and to give up our fears for the glory of his name. The world will condition us and try to limit us but we must choose whom to obey either the invisible voice of Christ or the bright and attractive but also intimidating looks of the world. The apostles told the council that it's better to obey God than man. We too must choose to obey the Lord and not the world and when the world starts fighting us we must hold onto the love we have for him and stand firm. May our good God strengthen us in his love and care and make us love him sacrificially and obey him.
In Corda Matris
SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C.
Acts. 5: 27-32, 40-41,
Ps. 30,
Rev. 5: 11-14,
John 21: 1-19
OBEDIENCE OPENS ALL DOORS.
Today's readings open us to a series of treasures Which are necessary for a life of happiness and peace. In the gospel text, the apostles had fished all night and caught nothing and were returning to the shore when an UNKNOWN person from the shore called out to them asking if they had caught something. At their answer, he ordered them to throw their net again at the side of the boat and they OBEYED him. Though there were closed to the shore and knew that fishes don't abound around the shore, they still threw their net in obedience. We are most often in such situations at countless moments of our lives when we have toiled hard and have nothing to show for it and when we have given out our best and yet still failed and discouraged we walk slowly away. At such moments we close our ears to everything and rather open our eyes expecting to see a miracle but most often we refuse to hear the voice of Christ Calling us not to give up and to try again. This voice can come from anywhere and can be that of a total stranger. The most important is not where the voice is from or who owns the voice but rather how we react to the voice. Let's note that the people in the boat didn't know who was talking neither did they know who he was but they listened to his voice and they obeyed. They had nothing to lose since they were already in the water and they cast their nets. This simple act of obedience won for them a net full of fish and crowned all the efforts they had done all night.
Often times, we just need a little push and direction to attain success but our frustrations and fears, our doubts and pains stop us from reaching the point of success. We do not need to see before we obey, we do not need to know who is giving the order before we obey all we need is to know that what we are being asked to do is for our good and is not impossible. God will never ask us to do the impossible but will always call us to go the extra mile to put in a little more effort. That little effort isn't always our initiative but that of Christ and it's fructification comes from the fact that Christ blesses it and rewards us for obeying him. Today let's learn how to obey the voice of Christ who speaks to us in various ways and at different places and through different people.
The first reading blows a stronger whistle when the apostles affirm that the Holy Spirit is given to those who OBEY GOD. Obedience gives us a lot and opens us to God's blessings and also to his Spirit. So I say obey God.
When we obey God and he blesses us, we still have one more thing to do and that's to give him back all that he has given us. Most of what we receive is still to be processed and refined for a better use. The apostles obeyed God and caught a huge number of fishes but then they needed to struggle to draw the blessings to themselves. When they got to the shore, the Lord had a more perfect version of the blessing and ready for use and to receive the ready blessing, we have to bring back the one He has given us so that he refines it and perfects it. The Lord had fish already ready on the charcoal fire but he called the apostles to bring the ones they have caught and in return he gave them that which was ready. We too have received many gifts from God but some of us don't get the blessings because we do not accept to pull them out of the place where they are. Some of us will see the blessings and let them go because we won't accept to do the little sacrifices that come With the blessings. The apostles had to haul the net in. We too have to fight and pull down the obstacles to our blessings and haul in our blessings. But for us to do that we have to struggle through the hardship standing between us and the blessings. And when we have hauled in the blessings, let's hand them back to God who alone can better refine them and make them suit us. No one can better teach us how to use what we have than he who gave it to us. The gifts we have Received came from someone and he who gave us is calling us to rebring them to him so that he can refine them and make them fit for our well-being. All that the Lord has given us let's take them back to him and he shall perfect them for us.
Another interesting things in today's readings is the profession of love. And today the Lord God is asking us all; do u love me more than all these others do? I know we all will profess our love for God and say we love him but his question is not whether or not we love but the extend to Which we love him. How much do you love me? That's the question the Lord is asking us. Is your love for me greater than the love of others or do you love me just as others do? Loving God is not a formality but a necessity for grwoth and transformation of life. Peter understood that having a particular love for God will lead him to places that might be fatal for him. He surely recalled how his zealous love led him to the denial and to the risk of death. When Christ asked him about the depth of his love, Peter only professed a brotherly love and Christ questioned him about sacrificial love, Peter remained on brotherly love with all assurance. This didn't stop Christ from reminding him that even brotherly love requires sacrifices and pains. We are invited to step up our love for Christ and to accept the persecutions that come with it. When one decides to love Christ particularly, others point to him as being this or that. Some even ridicule you, others torment you and torture you. This makes alot of people to hide their Christian identify and follow the crowd so that they don't appear different. But today Christ is telling us not be scared of all this but to excel in love for him and loving him more than others do. It is by loving him more and more than he gives himself to us and makes us guardians with him over our brothers and sisters.
Let's today choose to obey the voice of Christ above that of the world and to give up our fears for the glory of his name. The world will condition us and try to limit us but we must choose whom to obey either the invisible voice of Christ or the bright and attractive but also intimidating looks of the world. The apostles told the council that it's better to obey God than man. We too must choose to obey the Lord and not the world and when the world starts fighting us we must hold onto the love we have for him and stand firm. May our good God strengthen us in his love and care and make us love him sacrificially and obey him.
In Corda Matris
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