Daily Liturgy
Friday April 9
through our Risen Lord, your Son, Jesus Christ,
you have given us a message of hope
and a person to live for.
Free our faith from triviality and routine
and fill us with his Spirit of courage,
that we may learn to live
with the insecurities of the change of renewal
ever-demanded by the Gospel
and by the needs of the times.
May our Christian living bear witness
to the name of him by whom we are saved,
Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord,
Reading 1: ACTS 4:1-12
After the crippled man had been cured,
while Peter and John were still speaking to the people,
the priests, the captain of the temple guard,
and the Sadducees confronted them,
disturbed that they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
They laid hands on Peter and John
and put them in custody until the next day,
since it was already evening.
But many of those who heard the word came to believe
and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes
were assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest,
Caiaphas, John, Alexander,
and all who were of the high-priestly class.
They brought them into their presence and questioned them,
“By what power or by what name have you done this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them,
“Leaders of the people and elders:
If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;
in his name this man stands before you healed.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:1-2 AND 4, 22-24, 25-27A
R. (22) The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, grant salvation!
O LORD, grant prosperity!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
The LORD is God, and he has given us light.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia: Ps 118:24
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: JN 21:1-14
Jesus revealed himself again 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 cast 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 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.
Intercessions
– For the Church, that it may continue proclaiming the Good News of the Risen Lord and bearing witness to him, even if these annoy outsiders or even some of its own members, we pray:
– For our Christian communities, that without fear we may live our faith openly and do what is right and good in the name of Jesus, we pray:
– For all and each of us that we may recognize with faith and love the presence of the Lord in one another, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God, our Father,
you put good words on our tongue
and you fill our hands with good gifts;
you entrust even your Son to us
and place him in our hands.
Through him then, and together with him,
let us become to the world
your word and your gift, your sign of hope,
and make us capable of bearing witness
to your love for people.
We ask you this, in the name of Jesus, the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, our Father,
your Son Jesus, invited us today
to come and eat the food of himself,
which he had prepared for us.
May we too, invite people far and near
to share the table of the things we have
and of the best that is in us –
our love and compassion, our encouraging word,
and our presence to one another.
May this be the sign to those around us,
that your risen Son lives among us,
now and for ever.
Blessing
May we raise up one another and bring one another healing and peace in the name of our Risen Lord, Jesus. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
The New Testament provided references to the charcoal fires – twice in John’s gospel. One of them marks Peter’s denial of his Lord, the other his rehabilitation. They are connected, as the best and the worst are always connected, the highest and the lowest, the holiest and the most sinful. It was to make such connections that the Word was made flesh That in itself is an astonishing connection! Making connections is God’s work.
As Peter arrived on shore he saw the charcoal fire. A fireplace would be the last place where Peter would want to meet the Lord now. On the night before the Lord’s passion, it was at a fireplace that he denied Jesus by saying, “I don’t even know the man” (Matthew 26:72-74). The fire must have definitely reminded him of his denial. Of course, the same Peter had declared earlier that, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
Peter’s history wasn’t always written with constant fidelity. But Our Lord invites him to the rich banquet of his mercy: “Come, have breakfast.” Fish and bread recalled the occasion on the mountain side, close by the Sea of Tiberias, when Jesus had fed the crowd, and had later promised the true bread from heaven. There is a touching simplicity and intimacy in the Risen Lord who cooks fish on a charcoal fire and invites his friends to Come on, have some breakfast.
This is not merely the experience of Peter alone – rather Peter’s experience is the experience of the Community. How often have we questioned the Lord or run away from his presence in our daily life situations? In spite of our infidelity, Jesus is always faithful. How extends his mercy, love and acceptance. He returns kindness for evil, leaving us with a real and eloquent illustration of the Beatitudes.
The disciples didn’t need to ask him, “Who are you?” Three years of seeing Jesus forgive sins and curing the sick helped them to know Jesus as the Merciful One. Do I know him by that name?
Lord, grant me the grace to seek your mercy and offer it to others.