3rd Sunday C. Easter 2025

This third Sunday of the Paschal Season, we meet Jesus at the seashore.

The friends of Jesus are at work. They have been fishing at night and have caught nothing, but with the help of Jesus Resurrected, they catch too much fish. St. John proclaims, “it is the Lord!”

The Lord Jesus can be present to us at work and at play, in good times and in bad. In times of sorrow and failure. In times of joy and victory. Recognizing “it is the Lord”, we declare our identity; our gang affiliation.

At our parish celebrations of First Communion, Confirmation, baptisms, reconciliation, marriage and the sick, we announce: “It is the lord”. This announcement reveals us as real players on our jobs, at play, in failure, in success, in times good and times bad, pretty and ugly: It is the Lord!

Peter arranges his uniform and jumps into the water and swims to Jesus. This is his baptism. A cleansing from errors and fouls, and penalties. Peter who dropped the ball, is out of the penalty box and back in the game, because he recognizes, “It is the Lord!”

Jesus has prepared a morning meal for his hard working friends. It is a meal not only for the health of their bodies, but also for the health of their souls. The message is clear: human beings who live not only by bread, but also by the Word of God, are children of God. They enjoy the fullness of life -life in the Spirit!

For this reason, in the month of Mary, we bring our children to the seashore for their first meal prepared by Jesus -to feed both body and soul.

And this month we bring our teenagers for Confirmation, because they have confirmed that “It is the Lord.” They are ready to be players in the gladiator games of Truth and Lie, Good and bad, friend and fake, death and life.

And this month, men who like Mary say, “Yes” it is the Lord, step forward for the sacrament of Ordination. They are prepared to coach a people who testify, “It is the Lord.”

Now Peter, even though he dropped the ball, committed an error, fumbled the pass, choked at the hail Mary moment and displayed unnecessary roughness in the garden; with three strikes against him, eats the meal prepared by Jesus Resurrected.

Three times Jesus says to Peter: Do you love me? Three times, 33 times, 33 x 33 times, Jesus says to you and to me: If you love me, feed my sheep.

This is what the Holy Roman Catholic Church at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish does. This is our mission, our work, our time, talent and treasure. This is our failure and our glory at the seashore with Mary’s baby boy.

And so we wait for a new Peter. In Rome, ‘fishermen’ from around the world gather in Conclave with the Breathing, Burning Holy Spirit.

They will select a new Rock who will testify: It is the Lord.

Peter to whom Jesus will say: “Feed my Sheep.” Peter who came to know the Lord in a family like yours, in a parish like this, among a people like you, who announce at the breaking of the bread,

“It is the Lord!”