3rd Sunday of Easter

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday of Easter are:

1. Acts 5: 27-32
2. Psalm 30: 2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
3. Revelations 5: 11-14
4. John 21: 1-19

1. Who/what are you?
• In the first reading Peter boldly proclaims that they are "witnesses of these things" in a way that suggests that they defined themselves in those terms.  Their very lives were defined by that role.
• If someone were to ask you "who are you", how would you answer?
• Is that in terms of what you do, or who you really are?
• Is it possible for us to truly multi-task?
• How do we ensure that our priorities are straight, that each of the roles that we play add up to being powerful witnesses for Christ?
2. Enemy mine
• The word "enemy" is hardly ever used in polite conversation.  That's perhaps too bad.
• Who/what are some of your enemies?
• Do all of them come from outside of you?
• Do you think that God is interested in rescuing you from all of them?
• What role do we have in escaping the clutches of these enemies?
3. Excuse me, you're standing on my cloud
• I tend to regard unanimity with a certain suspicion.  I always wonder what the cost was in achieving that unity of purpose, thought, direction.  But we keep pryaing for unity among God's faithful.
• What is the foundation for such unity?
• Do you think that we can achieve even a measure of such unity here in this life?
• What sort of a witness would/could we be if we were more unified?
4. Divine mercy
• What are some times when you have been rehabilitated in some manner or another?
• How long did that take?
• How did you know that you were done, that you had been restored?
• How did you act differently afterwasrds?

Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. What are the things clamoring for my attention in life?  Are they correctly ordered?
2. What do I need to be rescued from this week?
3. What am I doing that might convince someone that I'm happy to be Christian?
4. How am I revealing Christ to others?

Who's getting grilled here, me or the fish?

I will never forget the look on His face that night when I denied Him the third time.
I looked for sadness, anger, disappointment.  I found those, but I was surprised to find
Find another emotion there as well: loneliness.  He was all alone with the hatred and fear.

I knew there was nothing that I could do for him going in.  I'm just a fisherman.
But I wanted to be near, have some sort of comfort that I could give at the end.
But I couldn't get very close, always on the fringes, just near enough to be challenged.

All my bluster, all my bravado, all that false courage crumpled like a rag doll,
Leaving me, a hollowed out man with no guts, standing there where He could see
That I had even less courage than He had given me credit for.

Humility and shame are so often confused in people's minds,
To the point that no one wants humility, they fear the long-term consequences of shame,
But quite the opposite happens, for the truly humble person never has anything to be ashamed of.

Instead, they know where their weaknesses are, where their strengths lie untapped
And they are able to hear the call to use all of those talents for the kingdom.
Humility tears away the veil of self away from our eyes and we see Christ clearly.

No longer through a haze of our own needs
But seeing with the light of sacrifice and suffering.
Jesus, show me the way that I may feed your sheep generously.

Shalom!