20250425 CHRIST THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR FAITH
25 April 2025, Easter Friday
First reading | Acts 4:1-12 |
The name of Jesus Christ is the only one by which we can be saved
While Peter and John were talking to the people the priests came up to them, accompanied by the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees. They were extremely annoyed at their teaching the people the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. They arrested them, but as it was already late, they held them till the next day. But many of those who had listened to their message became believers, the total number of whom had now risen to something like five thousand.
The next day the rulers, elders and scribes had a meeting in Jerusalem with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, Jonathan, Alexander and all the members of the high-priestly families. They made the prisoners stand in the middle and began to interrogate them, ‘By what power, and by whose name have you men done this?’ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, addressed them, ‘Rulers of the people, and elders! If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your presence, today. This is the stone rejected by you the builders, but which has proved to be the keystone. For of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 117(118):1-2,4,22-27 |
The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love has no end.
Let the sons of Israel say:
‘His love has no end.’
Let those who fear the Lord say:
‘His love has no end.’
The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone.
or
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Sequence |
Victimae Paschali Laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended:
combat strangely ended!
Life’s own Champion, slain,
yet lives to reign.
Tell us, Mary:
say what thou didst see
upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen:
he goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen
from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!
Gospel Acclamation | Ps117:24 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
This day was made by the Lord:
we rejoice and are glad.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 21:1-14 |
Jesus stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish
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.
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.
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.
CHRIST THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 4:1-12; PS 118:1-2,4,22-27; JOHN 21:1-14 ]
What drives us in life? Why do we continue to struggle in life when times are difficult and the situation seems hopeless? The answer is the same for all – it is faith. But there are different kinds and quality of faith. In truth, anyone who wants to live must have some kind of implicit faith, that life is meaningful and it is worth the sufferings and trials we have to endure to arrive at it. Even people without a religion need to have some kind of faith in the future of life. There is a hope that life will get better, the country will be more prosperous, there will be peace and unity, and we will live a life where everyone’s desires would be satisfied. Of course, it remains a dream, or is it an illusion? The danger is that the moment we come to a decision that it is an illusion, we will give up all hope. We become sceptical of life and its promises. We fall into disillusionment. We are not driven anymore because there is no hope for the future. We end up just going through the motions of life, existing, rather than living, without zeal for anything, but just waiting to die whilst seeking as much pleasure whilst we can. For others, life can become so meaningless, especially if they are sick or feel useless or abandoned, that there is no reason for them even to carry on with their life. Some might even attempt suicide.
This was the case of Peter and the apostles who went out fishing after the death of their master. Their hope was in Christ their Messiah and liberator. They had hoped that they would be given political power when Christ conquered the Romans. But all their hopes and dreams were crushed. He was put to death by His enemies and their dreams died with Him. So, they went back to their former profession which they knew best, fishing. However, they caught nothing! It seems that they were out of luck. But it could also mean that having given up fishing as their profession, they no longer enjoyed fishing anymore because it was just a means of livelihood. Their lives were no more as meaningful as it was when they were travelling with Jesus and ministering to the sick, the hopeless and those obsessed by sins and evil. The cornerstone of their mission was gone.
In the light of what we have just said, we need to ask ourselves, what is the cornerstone that gives us the courage and hope to keep on chasing our dream. If we say that it is faith that keeps us going, then we need to inquire whether it is a substantiated faith. Secularists and humanists also have faith that their lives and the world will get better. But what is the basis of their faith? It is faith in themselves and an exaggerated faith in humanity, that they will be able to conquer the universe because they have intellect. Indeed, we might have intelligence to do great things, but the heart is also evil. It is said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So, with human intelligence and the use of artificial intelligence, there will be an increase in knowledge, and knowledge is power. This is why world leaders are obsessed with technology today because the nation with the best technology will control the world. But technology and knowledge, if used by evil and selfish people, will destroy the world completely.
What about those with religion? At least they have faith in something or someone. They have a founder to lead them to discover a deeper meaning in life beyond just acquiring things and being satisfied with pleasure, power and glory. And if they are suffering tremendously because of poverty, sickness, natural disasters or wars and social injustices, they would be able to carry on with hope that their God will come to their rescue. And even if not, they know that there is a better place somewhere beyond this world. They know that life continues in some form even if not the way Christians believe. They might believe in the transmigration of souls, reincarnation or simply a life of immortality with God where there will be an end to suffering and the limitations of life on this earth. Hence, they can at least be at peace with themselves, be contented with what they have and what they are. People with faith in a religion tend to be more positive about life on this earth and life hereafter.
However, for Christians, whilst we also believe in many things they believe in, especially the universal transcendent values of life, such as kindness, forgiveness, peace, love, generosity, and even eternal life, we believe in the resurrection of the body and the communion of saints where we will be one with each other again in the next life, living in harmony and joy and love with the Holy Trinity. How sure are we to make this claim if not for the fact that Jesus is the Risen Lord? He is the cornerstone of our faith and our salvation. This is why Peter declared, “For all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.” But it makes us appear to be triumphalist in our profession of our faith in Christ, much to the displeasure of non-Christians for being so insensitive. Most religions can accept that there are many ways to God and salvation, but only a few religions think that theirs is the only way.
So, it is important to contextualize the Christian’s profession of faith in Christ as the unique and universal Saviour of the world and of humanity. The faith of the Christians is rooted in their encounter with the Risen Lord who was put to death as a criminal by the religious and political institutions who perceived Him to be a threat to their status quo. This explains why when Peter and John were giving their account of how Jesus was their Saviour, their healer, the religious authorities “were extremely annoyed at their teaching the people the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus.” But the truth of their conviction lies in the fact that they had seen the Risen Lord after His death. This could not be disputed as the Lord appeared not just to one or a few of the disciples but to more than five hundred. (cf 1 Cor 15:5-8)
In today’s gospel, the truth of Jesus’ resurrection was recounted by the evangelist. The Lord appeared to them at the shore of the lake of Galilee. It was the same Lord who was teaching in one of their boats three years ago. It was the same Lord who worked the miracle of the multiplication of the catch when they then also caught nothing. And so once again at the command of our Lord, “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.” Peter once again had his sins washed away and dying to his lack of faith, he encountered the Lord.
But most of all, not only was the Risen Lord in continuity with the Jesus of Nazareth, and that He was really the same person with flesh and blood, He prepared breakfast for the disciples. “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.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.'” Of course, there was also a discontinuity because the Lord in His resurrected body is no longer under the constraints and limitations of this world. Hence, the evangelist recorded that “none of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you? They knew quite well that 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.”
In conclusion, we can therefore appreciate the profession of Peter who represents all Christians when he said, “If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your presence today. This is the stone rejected by you the builders, but which has proved to be the keystone. For all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.'” Indeed, the confession of faith in Christ as the universal Saviour, the cornerstone of our faith, is not based on some intellectual speculation or unsubstantiated hope. It is rooted in the continued presence of Christ in our lives over the past two millennia, when we experience His healing power and saving grace at work, and how His gospel continues to give hope to all who believe in Him.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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