HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Third Sunday of Easter (Year C)

Apr 14, 2013

3845

Listen Read

First Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (5:27-32, 40b-41)

When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, "We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name? Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man's blood upon us."

But Peter and the apostles said in reply, "We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors and raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and saviour to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13)

(R) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O Lord, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, you brought me up from the netherworld, you preserved me from among those going down into the pit. (R)

Sing praise to the Lord, you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger lasts but a moment, a lifetime, his good will. At nightfall, weeping enters in, but with the dawn, rejoicing. (R)

Hear, O Lord, and have pity on me, O Lord, be my helper. You changed my mourning into dancing, O Lord, my God, forever will I give you thanks. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Book of Revelation (5:11-14)

I, John, looked and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice:

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing."

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out:

"To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever."

The four living creatures answered, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (21:1-19)

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also will come with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something."

So they case it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from the shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.

When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught." So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

When they had finished the breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." Jesus said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."

Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Once a father called his three little children and showed them a toy. He explained to them that he had won the toy as a door prize and he wanted to give it to the most obedient of them. He asked them, "Who is the most obedient? There was complete silence and no response from the children as they looked at one another first and then at him intently. The father thought that they probably did not understand his question so he rephrased it. He said, "OK! Who always obeys Mom and does everything she says?" The youngest child looked around and then slowly picked up the toy and handed it to the father and said, "Of course Dad, it is you. You win."

Today's scriptures remind us that obedience to God and His Word is very essential in our relationship with God and others. In the first reading of the Acts of the Apostles, the writer, Saint Luke, recounts the life, perseverance, growth, and witness of the early Christians after the resurrection of Jesus. The chapters preceding today's text are about the apostles witnessing and believing in the resurrection of Jesus, their teaching and healing in the name of Jesus, their arrest and time in prison, and their miraculous escape with the help of an angel. Today's text narrates the exchange between the elders of the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin, and the apostles at their second confrontation. The high priest questioned them, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in Jesus name, did we not? The apostles courageously replied why they continued to preach. They said, "We must obey God rather than men." It means that the demands on every believer (past, present and future) of Christ are not optional but mandatory. Obedience to God and His Word has priority over every other thing in life.

Why do we have to obey God? First of all, we must obey God to show our gratitude to Him, for His love, mercy and grace. Second, we must obey God to avoid sin. Third, we must obey God to give witness, so that many more would come to believe in Him. Fourth, we must obey God to manifest our love for Him.

What are the results of our obedience to God? In the Book of Jeremiah (7:23) we hear, "My one command to them was this: Listen to my voice, then I will be your God and you shall be my people. In everything, follow the way that I mark out for you, and you shall prosper." In other words, we will experience personal victory if we follow His will like the apostles who cast the net in the place where Jesus pointed out and caught a large amount of fish. Saint John (14:15, 23-24) quotes Jesus, "If you love me, you will obey what I command. If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching." In other words, God gives us courage and strength to endure any suffering by living in us and with us. Allowing him into our life permanently leads us to peace and joy in every circumstance.

Do we obey Him and resist sin? Not always, right? Sometimes we obey his commands when they are convenient and desirable, and the ones to our liking. Many times we are willing to obey human beings rather than God. Despite our promise to be good children of God our Father, we choose to live a world of conflicting allegiances. We rebel against Him in lots of different ways. Sometimes we are completely indifferent to Him and His Word. Sometimes we care little about his commandments, and seek our own pleasures and ignore Him. We are perhaps happy to receive the grace of salvation in any form (understanding, patience, kindness, forgiveness and good relationships) but may not care much about obeying His commands. Sometimes we perhaps find that it is too difficult to follow Him. But the life of the early Christians shows us that while it is difficult, it is not impossible. Imagine! How difficult it must have been for the early Christians who were arrested, beaten and humiliated many times for their belief in Christ. Hundreds and thousands of believers were fed to the lions, burnt and crucified for doing only God's will. They were willing to die rather than obey men who opposed God. We are very fortunate we do not have to endure such persecutions. And yet in today's world to avoid a little discomfort and inconvenience, we easily compromise our Christian beliefs, traditions and values. We even feel embarrassed these days to express our faith publicly through Christian signs and symbols.

What are the requirements for obeying God? First, to obey Him, we must believe in the power of God and that He will work for our good in every situation and circumstance. Second, to obey Him, we must listen to Him. When we read the scriptures and when we pray, we must make time to hear what He has to say. Third, to obey Him, we must be courageous. Finally to obey Him, we must surrender to Him.

Today God may ask you to do something that doesn't make sense from a human perspective. God may ask you to give up an addiction, or to offer forgiveness to someone, or to care for a sick person, or to assist someone in need, or to serve in your church although you feel inadequate. Israel's history proves that obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings trouble. If we disobey God, we will fail in everything. If we disobey God, our children will follow our example and disobey Him too. One act of disobedience will lead to more disobedience. This is how sins are formed. Someone might say "one sin won't hurt." This is not true. Many people fall into deep sin and trouble after giving in to a lot of small temptations. Today you have a choice to obey or rebel against God.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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