20220501 THE HEART OF COMMITMENT
01 May, 2022, Sunday, 3rd Week of Easter
First reading |
Acts 5:27-32,40-41 © |
We are witnesses to all this: we and the Holy Spirit
The high priest demanded an explanation of the Apostles. ‘We gave you a formal warning’ he said ‘not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt of this man’s death on us.’ In reply Peter and the apostles said, ‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’ They warned the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13 © |
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
or
Alleluia!
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,
restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
or
Alleluia!
Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.
At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord listened and had pity.
The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:
O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.
I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
Apocalypse 5:11-14 © |
The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given riches and power
In my vision, I, John, heard the sound of an immense number of angels gathered round the throne and the animals and the elders; there were ten thousand times ten thousand of them and thousands upon thousands, shouting, ‘The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing.’ Then I heard all the living things in creation – everything that lives in the air, and on the ground, and under the ground, and in the sea, crying, ‘To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever.’ And the four animals said, ‘Amen’; and the elders prostrated themselves to worship.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Lk24:32 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Lord Jesus, explain the Scriptures to us.
Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Christ has risen: he who created all things,
and has granted his mercy to men.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 21:1-19 © |
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.
After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.
‘I tell you most solemnly,
when you were young
you put on your own belt
and walked where you liked;
but when you grow old
you will stretch out your hands,
and somebody else will put a belt round you
and take you where you would rather not go.’
In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’
THE HEART OF COMMITMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 5:27-32,40-41; Ps 30; Rev 5:11-14; Jn 21:1-19 (or >< 21:1-14)]
Today, it is difficult to speak of commitment because many of us are not ready for long term commitment. In the past, it was considered a virtue to work in one organization for a lifetime. It was called loyalty, and loyalty was rewarded. But it was not so much loyalty to the organization but to the people in charge of the organization. This was because most companies were family-owned businesses. They tended to be small and people knew each other personally. Today, it is the norm for people to job-hop and change careers. Companies are very big and staff turnover is high. We no longer work for people but for the shareholders. There is an absence of personal loyalty. Hence, loyalty to an organization for life is rare today. Sometimes, it is not considered a virtue, but a lack of exposure and experience.
What is true of loyalty at work is also true in relationships. Today’s commitment to friendship and even marriage is weak. Most relationships do not last for long. Even love and marriage do not last. People no longer marry with the utter conviction that they will stay faithful to their spouse for the rest of their lives. Seeing so many breakdowns in marriages and relationships around us, many, whilst professing their love for their spouse, also seek to protect their financial independence in case they get played out in the relationship. Trust is lacking, love is weak, and so commitment is even weaker. Whilst we all desire lifelong friendship and love, often, many of us are disappointed in love.
This is true in a very real way with respect to our commitment to the Lord as well. How committed are we to the Lord? How many of us are able to demonstrate the kind of commitment and allegiance that St Peter and the apostles displayed in bearing witness to Christ. When they were brought before the Sanhedrin – Jewish leaders who were educated in theology and scriptures, with authority over the people – and warned not to preach in the name of Jesus, they said, “Obedience to God comes before obedience to men.”
Why is that so? This is because the apostles were convinced that Jesus is Lord and God, proven by His death and resurrection. They explained, “it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” Such was the boldness displayed by the apostles and confidence in their message. They were not cowed or intimidated. On the contrary, “they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.”
How did the apostles come to this level of commitment and loyalty to the Lord? It took time. It was gradual and then radical. The truth is that although they were called to be apostles of our Lord, many of them, like us in our relationship and faith in God, also took time. Our understanding of Christ and the depth of our relationship with Him take time to mature and to blossom. When we enrol for RCIA or as cradle Catholics, we might have acquired some knowledge about Christ but we never really seriously confront what we are taught until we are challenged in life or by opponents of our faith. We think we love Jesus and we think we are committed to Him. Wasn’t that how the apostles felt as well? When they became aware of the dangers ahead of our Lord, all the apostles vouched that they would stand up for Jesus. Most of all, Peter was so sure of his loyalty to our Lord that he said, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you.” (Mt 26:33; Mk 14:29; Lk 22:33; Jn 13:37). But that is what we say too in our commitment to the Lord when we were baptized or when we make our religious profession or at our ordination.
But then we know Peter and the other apostles abandoned the Lord when He was arrested, tortured and put to death. All of them fled when the soldiers with the temple priests came for Jesus. After His death, as we read in today’s gospel, they were resigned to the fact that their dreams of establishing the Kingdom of God with our Lord was over. It was a failure. So they returned to their old trade, doing what they were good at, namely, fishing. They abandoned their call and the mission the Lord had given to them. And this is true for us as well. In the face of trials and temptations, we give up doing good, living out the gospel values because of opposition, disagreements and failures. This is when our loyalty breaks down.
But the Good News today is that even when we are unfaithful to the Lord, God is faithful to us. In the second reading, we read that “the Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing.” Jesus, who was faithful to His Father even unto death, shows us how to conquer sin and death. He leads us in the way. Again, in today’s gospel, He reminds us that without Him, we can do nothing. Without Him, we remain in darkness. This was what happened to the apostles. “They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.” Peter had forgotten the lesson he learnt earlier on when the Lord worked a miraculous catch when he thought there was no fish.
So Jesus gave the apostles and us a second chance. We read that “It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus.” Jesus as the light of the world, the morning star, was breaking into the lives of His apostles who lived in darkness and despair. Jesus took the initiative. He called out to them, “Have you caught anything, friends?” in spite of the fact that they betrayed Him! Then He commanded them, “‘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.'” Jesus came to reconcile with the apostles and made them feel loved and accepted, and forgiven when He invited them to have a meal with Him. “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. Come and have breakfast.’ Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.” Fish and bread are symbols of our Lord. We, too, whenever we share the Eucharist, we renew our love for Him, or rather Jesus renews His love for us whenever the priest says, “This is my body given up for you. This is my blood shed for you.”
However, Jesus still had one last job to do before He could hand over the mission to the apostles, which was to help Peter renew his commitment. Peter was chosen to be leader of the Twelve but he had failed miserably. He was too presumptuous, too sure of himself. He was proud and impulsive. He had a good heart. He loved our Lord. But his human weaknesses would disqualify him as a leader. Yet, Jesus had confidence in him. Jesus used Peter’s weakness to help him come to self-realization that without Him, he can do nothing. He allowed Peter to learn his lesson. And He wanted to heal Peter deeply. Hence, the charcoal fire was there to remind Peter how he fell when he denied him three times before the servants of the high priest. But Jesus allowed him to reaffirm his love for Him by asking him, three times, examining the depth of his love. This time, Peter was more realistic and humbler. When Jesus asked him whether he loved Him with an unconditional and godly love, Peter responded by saying that he loved Him with a human love. Jesus came to his level and accepted that imperfect love of Peter.
Indeed, Jesus took Peter where he was in his relationship. As a consequence, that relationship grew gradually from strength to strengthuntil he was ready to die for him by being crucified upside down. Jesus intimated his future when he said, “‘I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.’ In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.'”
We too must learn humility from St Peter, recognizing our weaknesses even as leaders in leading the flock of Christ, or when engaging in the universal mission of the Church. This will teach us compassion and empathy with those who are weak and sinners. But most of all, the greatest lesson we can learn is that the heart of commitment is love for our Lord. Jesus could accept Peter’s infidelity and failures and weaknesses simply because Peter truly loved our Lord. True, he overestimated his love for Christ but he was sincere even though presumptuous. But after his failure, St Peter changed radically and later on he would write to the elders telling them to exercise humility in caring for the flock of God. (1 Pt 1-5) Love and humility is the gateway to loyalty to the mission the Lord has entrusted to us. We will be fruitful with a great harvest of 153 fishes, a symbol of the universal Church, whose mission reaches to all men and women.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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