Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter 2019

Readings: ACTS 5:27-32, 40B-41:REV 5:11-14 :JN 21:1-19 

There are many things that call to mind my spiritual path throughout the readings for today. When I was first approached about pursuing the diaconate my reaction was one of shock and horror. There was no way I was ever going to be a deacon. I actually found it funny that I was asked about being a deacon.

With that funny thought in mind, I told my wife thinking she would find it just as funny. When I finished instead of laughing there was a brief period of silence then she asked what my response was. When I told her of course it was no, she sounded disappointed as she said, “that’s too bad, I think you would make a good one.”

For me this was a foreign concept as I was blinded, kind of like the disciples were when they first saw Jesus on the shore and did not recognize him. There were many reasons that I did not feel it was a calling for me, one of the main reasons was and still is how comfortable I am speaking in front of large groups of people.

Imagine you are a guy who through their late teens and twenties only darkened the doors of a church when it was absolutely necessary. Even weddings were avoided, I would only go to the church if I was part of the wedding party. The only mandatory time was for funerals. This led to many things going on in my life which were not in my best interest, though I could not believe it at the time.

There were times when I would turn my back on my family and my friends, which in hindsight was not the wisest thing to do during those times. Looking back, I should have turned toward them rather than away from them. The reasons were usually due to a worry that I would be judged by my family or friends. I had already prejudged myself and knew that those who knew me best would judge me harshly. It turns out that while there was talk about the mistakes that were made, there was never a judgement made about me. Learn from your mistakes and move forward and do your best not to make the same mistakes again.

When I finally began going back to church, thanks to Karen, I realized that the Lord we are called to love, loves us back unconditionally. While there may be a discussion about the mistake, He is there in all his mercy to forgive us and help us to move forward along the path He has chosen for us.

The disciples realize this in a stunning way when they are before the Sanhedrin and are then released. Of course, they were asked to stop talking about Jesus, but this only made their faith in Him stronger. They realized that they were being persecuted in Christ’s name. This brought to life for them one of the Beatitudes.

“Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

The disciples realized the more they followed Jesus the more likely their eternal reward would be great as he had promised.

When the disciples saw that Jesus had died on the cross, but before Pentecost, they were really unsure of what they should do. Peter decides to go back to what he knew from the family business. He was going to go fishing. He knew it was a place he could think quietly about what he had experienced in the three years he had followed and believed what Jesus taught. Though he did not recognize Jesus initially, he still had the feeling that her should listen to this stranger on the shore. This resulted in a catch that was unimaginable a few minutes earlier.

When I finally came back to the church and I was again receiving the body and blood of Christ on a regular basis I also realized I should begin to listen to what was being preached and taught through the homilies and the readings.

For me the oddest thing happened after Karen did not find my invitation to be a deacon as funny as I did, I realized in my thoughts and in my prayers, that there had been a voice calling me all along to do my best to live a life closer in line with what Jesus was teaching. I had always found it easier before that to simply ignore that little voice, or I would drown it out with other things. How many times have all of us here had the same feelings?

When Peter finally realized that it was Jesus on the shore, he could not wait for the boat to arrive on shore, he had to jump in the water and run to it. This is what we are all called to do, in times of trouble, joy, sorrow and temptation, run to the Lord, he will help guide us along the path.

Peter I am sure did not feel worthy of what Christ was asking of him, but he realized in the end it was better to listen to Him and follow, than to go a different path. He grew to become the Rock on which our church is built.

Many theologians call the three-fold questioning which Jesus does to Peter that morning forgiveness for the three times Peter had denied knowing Jesus during his trials. This course correction which Jesus does by simply asking Peter if he loves Him, allows Peter to understand and know that in the end he will be persecuted and put to death in a brutal way for simply following what Christ taught him.

He followed him not because he was looking forward to the brutal death, but because he realized in his interactions with him that Christ was the way to eternal salvation. We are all called in our own way to follow Christ for the same reasons. Just as he did with the disciples, he has given us a path to follow and some ways to get there. He wants us to follow him, while we may never end up having to deal with what the disciples did, we will be questioned for our faith in Him.

He has sent the Holy Spirit and the Eucharist to help guide us. The Holy Spirit is whispering his instructions to us, and there are times when these instructions are hard to follow. We then have the Eucharist, His Body and Blood, to feed us and give us the strength to follow His guidance. We are all called to live out our vocations in a tangible way. In order to understand those vocations, we need to take the time to listen to the Spirit. No matter how funny or horrifying it may sound to you at the time if it is truly a calling from the Spirit we can and will persevere through the trials and tribulations that may come with the vocation.

Let us all take the time to find a quiet place in our busy lives so that we can listen for where the Spirit is calling us. Then make sure that we partake in the Eucharist on a regular basis to make sure we have the strength to follow the path we are being called to follow.