Collect Series
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The Mass: Collect Series Icon. |
The Collect of the Mass for Third Sunday of Easter reads as follows:
May Your people exult for ever,
O God,
In renewed youthfulness of
spirit,
So that, rejoicing now in
the restored glory of our adoption,
We may look forward in confident
hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.
Though our Lord Jesus,
Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with
You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Reflection Questions
In making this prayer
tangible for my life during this week, the following reflection questions
emerged:
1. What does youthfulness of
spirit mean to me? How will I use it this during Eastertide?
2.Reflect on what it means
to be restored and to be an adopted child of God
What difference does it make
to me being a son or daughter of God?
3. What does it mean to me
to look forward with hope to my resurrection?
4. What areas of my life
would I like Christ to renew during Eastertide?
5. How might I live in the
joy and hope of my resurrection this week?
Gospel Reflection:
On the Third Sunday of
Easter, the Gospel highlights Jesus feeding his disciples (and us). Jesus is
patient when Peter and his disciples go back to the trade they know-fishing.
They caught nothing all night, and yet when Jesus tells them 'to throw the nets
to starboard', they could not haul it in because there were so many. When they
haul it in, the nets are not broken and yet there is a huge haul of fish.
Jesus is patient with us too
when we, after having stepped out in faith, retreat to our own comfort zone.
and go back to our tried and tested ( and yet failed) ways. Jesus invites
us to throw out our nets to the deep and haul in our catch. He will be on the
shore providing our needs, just as He provided the disciples with a charcoal
fire and fish already cooking.
There are some interesting
aspects to this Gospel which are tucked in but we can not fully appreciate. Let
us explore some of these aspects:
1. Is
it unusual not to catch any fish for professional fishermen?
Yes,
for seasoned fishermen like the disciples (Peter, James, and John were
professionals), it would be unusual to fish all night and catch nothing.
- The Sea of Galilee (also called Tiberias)
was well known for being rich in fish.
- Fishermen in that region typically fished at
night, when the fish rose to the cooler surface waters, making them easier
to catch with nets.
So, a
completely unfruitful night would have been deeply frustrating — and perhaps
humbling especially for skilled professionals. This sets the stage for the
miracle: their own effort produced nothing, but at Jesus’ command, they
experience abundance.
2. What
side of the boat did they usually fish from? Was it unusual to fish on the
starboard side in the light?
- Traditionally, fishing was done from the
left side (port side) of the boat. Most fishermen were right-handed, and
the rudder was on the starboard (right) side, making the port side more
accessible for casting and hauling nets.
- Also, boats in ancient Galilee were
relatively small and balanced for hauling nets on one particular side.
So yes
— casting on the right (starboard) side in daylight would be unusual and even
counterintuitive, especially after a night of no success.
This
highlights:
- Obedience over experience.
- The miracle wasn't in the technique but in
following Christ’s word — even when it defied logic or habit.
3. What
does the number 153 represent?
The
number 153 has invited centuries of interpretation. Here are the most
well-known possibilities:
- A literal count: It may simply reflect the
astonishing abundance — large fish, counted precisely, and the net not
breaking. It shows the miracle's physical reality and eyewitness detail
(John often includes exact figures).
- Symbolic interpretations:
- St. Jerome (4th century) noted that
ancient naturalists believed there were 153 species of fish in the world
— suggesting a symbol of the universal mission of the Church to
"catch" all peoples.
- St. Augustine suggested it symbolizes perfection:
153 is the sum of the numbers 1 through 17 (a triangular number).
- 10 (representing the
Ten Commandments) + 7 (gifts of the Spirit or completeness) = 17
- 1+2+3...+17 = 153
Mystical interpretations also see the
number as representing the fullness of God's work, unity, or the completeness
of the Church.
That openness after failure is
deeply moving. The night of emptiness prepared them for the morning of grace.
The humble posture of the
heart that says:
“I don’t understand this… but
because You say so, I will.”
It echoes Luke 5:5, from the
first miraculous catch:
“Master, we have worked hard
all night and caught nothing — but at Your word, I will let down the nets.”
Here in John 21, the same
Peter — older, maybe a little more weathered — doesn’t even say a word this
time. He just obeys. That silence speaks volumes.
And yes — the fact that they
didn’t defend their expertise is telling. Professional pride often resists
divine instruction, but hunger and failure made space for faith.
You might even say:
- Empty nets can empty pride.
- And empty hands are ready to receive a
miracle.
4.“It is the Lord!” (John
21:7)
This exclamation from the
disciple whom Jesus loved (traditionally understood as John) is packed with
beauty and spiritual insight.
Recognition through abundance
- It wasn't Jesus’ physical appearance that
caused recognition at first.
- It was the miraculous abundance — the
result of obedience — that opened John’s eyes: “It is the Lord!”
This tells us something
profound:
Sometimes we see Jesus not in
His form, but in His fruits.
When grace suddenly pours in —
when the emptiness turns to fullness — it often dawns on us: He was here. He
was guiding us.
5. Peter’s Reaction: Leaping
into the Sea
- Peter throws on his outer garment (he had
stripped for work) and jumps into the water to get to Jesus first.
- It’s so Peter: passionate,
impulsive, personal.
He doesn’t wait for the boat
to reach shore. He just dives in — soaked with longing and love. After all that
had happened (his denial, the death, the silence), this is reunion — not formal
or scripted, but raw and real.
It’s the heart crying out:“I
have to get to Him. Now.”
6. The Charcoal Fire &
Shared Meal (John 21:9–13)
This moment is deeply gentle:
- Jesus has already made a charcoal fire —
the same kind mentioned in Peter’s denial scene (John 18:18). A silent
reminder, yet surrounded by love.
- Bread and fish — a quiet meal. No
accusations. No sermons. Just presence.
Jesus meets them:
- In their hunger (physical and spiritual)
- In their confusion about what’s next
- And He feeds them with care and invitation,
not rebuke.
It’s a glimpse of the
Eucharist. Of reconciliation. Of divine hospitality.
Peter learned that being a
disciple means also responsibility and service. Peter loves Jesus and accepts
the mission Jesus gave him. Jesus has an unique mission for each of
us. Do I love Jesus to answer His call and accept the mission He asks of
me?
Let us step out in faith to
fulfill the mission Jesus gives to us. In our moments of fear and failure we
can pray the words of the psalm:
"I will praise the Lord
for You have rescued me'.
.
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