Welcome to Finding God in Our Hearts. The following production Pastoral Reflections with Monsignor Don Fisher is a weekly program of deep spiritual insight on Scripture, revealing the indwelling presence of God. Monsignor Fisher is a Catholic priest, a member of the Diocese of Dallas, and founder of the Pastoral Reflections Institute, a nonprofit in Dallas, Texas, dedicated to to enriching your spiritual journey. We appreciate your listenership and if you find this program valuable, please subscribe and share with your friends. This program is funded with kind donations by listeners just like you make your donation@pastoralreflectionsinstitute.com Good morning. Today we celebrate the third Sunday of Easter.

The opening Prayer May your people exalt forever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, that rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope the rejoicing of the Day of Resurrection, our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen. A reading from the Acts of the apostles, 5th chapter, 27th to 32nd verse in the 40th, 41st 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. 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 raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and Savior, 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. Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus and dismiss them. So they left the presence of Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name, the Word of the Lord. Responsorial Psalm I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

A reading from the book of Revelations, 5th chapter, 11th verse to the 14th verse I John looked and heard the voices of many angels who surround 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 which wisdom, strength, honor, and glory and blessing. They heard every creature in heaven and on earth, and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the Universe, cry out 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 the word of the Lord.

Hallelujah. Verse Christ is risen, Creator of all. He has shown pity on all people. The gospel for this third Sunday of Easter is taken from St. John, 21st chapter, 1st through 19th verse. At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.

And he revealed Himself in this together with 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’m going fishing. They said to him, we also will come with you. They went out and got into the boat. But that night they caught nothing. It was already dawn.

Jesus was standing on the shore. But the disciples did not recognize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, children, have you caught anything to eat? They answered, no. So he said to them, cast your net over the right side of the boat and you will find something. They cast it and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.

The disciple whom Jesus loves said to Peter, it’s 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, but they were not far from 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. And Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish you just caught. So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of 153large 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 in like manner the fish.

This was now the third time Jesus revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. When they finished 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. And he 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.

The Gospel of the Lord. Last Sunday, we explored the mystery of God living within us. God announcing to his disciples how present he was after his death, how much he wanted to be a part of their ministry throughout their life. How unusual and strange it must have seemed to them that he was saying, I want to live inside of you and guide you and be with you. And together, you and me, we will do wonderful things. Wonderful things.

I’m often envious of those people that lived at the time this all happened. I wonder what that must have been like, because the change to me has always been there, Meaning I’ve always lived in a redeemed world. I don’t know what it was like to live in an unredeemed world. I know what it’s like to live around people who don’t believe in a renewed, incredibly beautiful world. Maybe that’s part of the way we identify with this time. But.

But this was Rome. They lived in, well, Jerusalem, but Rome occupied them. Rome was the great power. And it was considered not just to be a government, but a God. The emperor was God. So there was the God of the world of Rome, and there was the God of Israel.

And how dramatically they are exposed to be so different, so radically different. Yet I would think that when the disciples were thinking of Jesus being the Savior, being the new king, that they had a lot of that baggage of politics and power and strength over people as they imagined what it would be like to sit on the kind of position of authority that Jesus would have when he became the new king. But what was revealed was something quite different than the way the world works. And so we see in this first reading the influence that happens to a human being when they’re living in doubt and confusion. You know, it’s interesting when you look at the disciples as 12 men. There was one who understood the heart of Jesus.

He knew him. He understood him. He was first one that arrived at the tomb. He was the. He was one that laid on the chest of Jesus in a very famous painting showing that he understood the heart of this man, the essence of Jesus. And he was there at the cross.

Never doubted him, always believed. One extreme and then the other is Judas. Somehow the image or the. The sense of the world in Rome at the time, this powerful force that sucked life out of anyone and anybody that could make an entertainment out of people killing animals or killing each other. He bought into that world and couldn’t conceive of what Jesus was really talking about, so he rejected it. All these two extremes, well, the other 10 were like all of us sort of believe, sort of don’t, I don’t know.

And when you see this first read, I mean, when you listen to this first reading, you get a sense of how they changed, how radically they changed. And what changed in them was their conviction of what was true, that Jesus was the one who was to come to save the world, that his presence in them changed them dramatically. From a person of timidity and fear and shame and wanting to hide into these powerhouses of truth. They stood up against the other God, the emperor, his ambassador there, and just said, we do not change our mind because you don’t agree with us. We are so convinced we know the truth and we will never, ever be silenced. Just such a dramatic change for those men.

And that was in the matter of weeks, days, we’re not sure. But it obviously isn’t the way human beings normally change. It takes time, takes a lot of time. But this. Well, they had three years to watch and to see this image of God in Jesus. But, you know, it wasn’t until that image entered into them and became one with them that they became the truth.

And that’s the beauty of redemption. We’re not teaching it, talking about it. We are it. That’s it. We are it. When you truly are transformed into a body that is filled with divinity and your presence is resonating this energy, this youthfulness, this excitement that is founded in the truth of what is revealed to us about the world, about ourselves, about our interaction with it all, our destiny.

We are all integral pieces of this incredible, marvelous plan of God, whose intention is that the fullness of all things, that he made everything, every life form with God in us, and we in God are going to participate in their finding their fullness. It’s amazing. Destiny. Amazing. And so in the second reading, we have this image of the church in heaven. Let’s say we have the church on earth.

Church in heaven. Church on earth is us, the church, all believers, the World and animals, insects in the world of the church in eternity is made up of this God now celebrating the Lamb, the sacrifice that’s been offered, the gift that’s been given to the world that’s unlocked this potential that was somehow enslaved and caught in blindness and stress. It’s been broken open and where all of a sudden participating in something so wonderful that the only response to its wonder and its awe is just this incredible voice of praise and honor, glory. So you see an image with God in this throne, with Jesus in God and God in Jesus. So just imagine it’s the Trinity sitting there, as it always is and always has been. But then there is this sense of everyone around them having this response.

And the elders were considered, they’re the leaders of the church in the eternal world of life after death. And they’re all bowing and surrendering to this incredible power. It’s like an image of what the church in the world has to do, has to free itself from its obligation, self imposed. Often that they are going to save people through doling out the sacraments and the things that save people. And they get caught up in that and it’s no, it’s all done by this incredible servant God for us in the form of a God man who is the image of who we’re to become. It’s a beautiful, beautiful image.

So this is the thing that I’m wanting you to feel about redemption, the thing we’ve received. It’s a power to see past all the lies of the world. It’s a freedom from all the fears that the disciples were so afraid of, even identifying with this man Jesus, for fear what might happen to them. It’s like being out of that prison of fear. And then all the stress that comes in life with the kind of inner critic we have and the shame we feel and all of that is blasted apart and we can see and we are free and we are at peace. And you wonder sometimes if it isn’t really the task of believing that first and then experiencing it, believing that that’s what has been given because we try to do it ourselves.

We’re using our humanity on our own. At least that’s what I’ve always done. And then that never is enough. And then we still wallow in shame and fear and blindness. It’s all about that image of the elders kneeling, bowing before this awesome gift being given. And we have to do the same.

So now we’re going to look at the gospel and it’s going to talk about that implanting in these Small group of men, this wonder, this enthusiasm, this youthfulness for their role in the world. So it’s an image that picks up almost from the Lord’s Supper. Remember, that was when he gave himself to these men in the Eucharist, and he told them he needed them to go forth and to preach and to teach and institute of the priesthood. And now it’s like, okay, let’s look at that same. Those images being actually rooted in an experience for the disciples. So you have just a small portion of them, and they decide to go fishing, which is what they did for a living, but it’s also what God promised they would do for the kingdom.

Be fishers, fishers of men. So they’re back at their job fishing. And it’s almost like they went back to the way they were. And perhaps that was part of where they were at that time. When you change, you become aware of something. It’s not completely fully who you are, but it’s like, let’s just say it’s the critical mass of who you are.

And you say, finally, I give into it completely. Here they are fishing, and so it’s at night. So there they are in blindness and darkness. And so here’s the light talking to them from the shore. And I love the fact that he calls them children. It’s almost just a sweet way of saying, you know, you’re just beginning to see all this.

Take your time. You’re still children in this. Because they were confused and in awe and wondering still. And so he just tells them how to do it correctly. Fish on the other side. It’s just another way of saying, you’ve got the right intention.

You know what you’re doing. You’re trying to catch these fish. But let me help you. Because when I help you, when I’m in you helping you, I’m going to give you what is right, what is successful, what is fruitful. They do it. And there’s this enormous catch of fish.

And so it’s only one of the disciples, obviously, the one I’ve already spoken of, the beloved John. He recognizes this is Jesus. He says it to Peter and Peter, I don’t know, it’s really interesting. It used to be the translation was, he was naked and he put on clothes and then jumped in. This is a little different. He was lightly clad, maybe without a shirt, and he puts his clothes on.

But I wonder if that isn’t a reference to Adam and Eve’s reaction to the presence of God. When they were still ashamed, covered themselves up. And then, as they come, Jesus feeds them and then makes a very interesting point. He gives them this nourishing food. In a way, he’s saying, your work of catching men, women, children, drawing them into this new life that is so clearly seen and, and so freeing and so peace creating. He’s saying when you do that, you’re going to find such enormous satisfaction.

Your work itself is going to bring you the peace that you long for and the joy you long for. Then he makes a very strong point about how this new church is going to run, how different it’s going to be than the temple. First of all, he just says, it has everything to do with how you believe in me. Do you believe in me because I exist or do you love me because my what I do for you, that I open your eyes, that I free you from slavery, that I bring you peace. When you see something beautiful and life giving, you love it. So three times Peter denied him.

Now three times he affirms that he loves this man, Jesus. He loves this God, Jesus. And then Jesus says, well, I am the people you are going to serve. I am in them as I am in you. When you minister to someone, you’re ministering to me. And you must do that out of a love.

Out of a love, out of a love that is not in any way, shape or form caught up in judgment, condemnation, criticism, but the same love you feel for me now at this moment, I want you to feel for them. And when you have that love for them, you’ll create the church that I’ve always longed the sea. Closing Prayer Father, we pray for your enlightenment, for the longing that you have within your heart to enable us to see the plan that you have prepared for us and your invitation to not only call us into this work, but to be the source of the success of that work. But you humble yourself to need us. You don’t need anyone. God doesn’t need people in the sense of he’s not complete, it’s just that he chooses to depend upon his creation to participate with you.

So bless us with this joyous responsibility and this amazing honor to be a part of not just being drawn to you, but drawing others to you also. And we ask this in Jesus name. Amen. The music in our program was composed and produced by Ryan Harner for this show, Pastoral Reflections with Monsignor Don Fisher. A listener supported program is archived and available on our website pastoralreflectionsinstitute.com and available anytime, anywhere and for free on our podcast, Finding God in Our Hearts. You can search and subscribe to Finding God in Our Hearts and anywhere you download your podcasts.

Pastoral Reflections with Monsignor Don Fisher is funded with kind donations by listeners just like you. You can make a one time or recurring tax deductible donation on our website pastoralreflectionsinstitute.com we thank you for your listenership and your continued support. Without it, this program would not be possible. Pastoral Reflections with Monsignor Don Fisher is a production of the Pastoral Reflections Institute, a NonProfit in Dallas, Texas dedicated to enriching your spiritual journey. Executive Producer Monsignor Don Fisher produced by Kyle Cross and recorded in Pastoral Reflections Institute Studios. Copyright 2020.