III SUNDAY OF EASTER
CALLED TO EXPERIENCE AND ANNOUNCE GOD’S LOVE
By our Pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jiménez
We are already in the third Sunday of Easter. And the readings make us reflect on the joy of evangelizing. That is to say the commitment of living and transmitting the faith, not just passing on knowledge, but a faith lived out with joy.
“But Peter and the apostles said in reply, ‘We must obey God rather than men. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’” (Acts 5:29.32) Today, as yesterday, there are many conflicts that arise between the Gospel and what we encounter, and as disciples, evangelizers and missionaries of Jesus we are invited to take the same position as the Apostles. But the Gospel does not oppose nor destroy any project that fosters the true humanization of people; but rather the opposite, it favors it. On April 6, 2002 Fr. Marcelo Pérez was ordained as a priest in a parish where I was the pastor. It is a community that is majority indigenous and Fr. Marcelo himself is indigenous from that same culture. He is the pastor now and his parish has been heavily affected by alcoholism, drugs and impunity for the local authorities. Fr. Marcelo has denounced these in many ways, looking for the good of his people. That has meant that Fr. Marcelo has received many death threats, but he knows perfectly well that his mission is to spread the kingdom of God which humanizes and these threats do not stop him.
Chapter 21 of the gospel of John, which is what we hear this Sunday, narrates three scenes: 1) the apostles decide to go fishing and Jesus appears to them, and the miraculous catch follows along with their recognition of him; 2) the dialogue between Jesus and Peter to whom he entrusts his mission as pastor of the Church; and 3) the destiny of Peter and Jesus’ beloved disciple.
“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.’” (Jn 21:2-3) The fact that seven of his disciples were together and invited by Peter to return to their activities in Galilee means that the impact of Jesus’ death was too much. But the event where Jesus appears to them at the edge of the lake helps them to experience Christ, alive and present. This experience must be meditated on over and over, accepting the belief of the message as a personal and communal experience. Today is it necessary to announce a living Christ who comes out to meet mankind and offers them hope, and meaning for their lives, for our lives. Today our evangelization needs to come out from that experience, meditated upon and lived out in the Resurrected Christ.
“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.’” (Jn 21:17) This is the triple confession of faith of Peter in Jesus. Salvation is an act of the love of God manifested in Jesus to the extreme, even unto death on a cross. Peter is chosen to make possible and present the prolongation of this act in the world. And so, he is asked about his capacity and willingness to love Jesus and through him and in him, all mankind. Carrying out the mission that was given him is only possible through these dispositions: complete surrender. There is a legend about the crucifixion of Peter. He was running around the outside of Rome so they wouldn’t find him, but he ran into Jesus and Peter asked Jesus: Where are you going Teacher? And Jesus responded: to give my life again. And Peter turned around and returned to give his testimony of faith, to surrender and conclude his mission of tending and loving the sheep.
It is only possible to carry out this kind of pastoral love if one has experienced the profound love of God revealed in the person, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Each Christian is called to experience this love of God in order to then be converted into an apostle of love. May we draw near to this font of love: the risen Christ.