News seems bleaker each time one opens a newspaper or watches the news. Natural disasters, terrible accidents, plane crashes, scandals, murders, kidnappings, the blame game, politics. Ths list goes on. But this isn't to be a Debbie-downer reflection. We have the news channels for that.
No, we as Catholics, have God's word. Sadly, even the Bible can seem just as bad as the events occurring today (the entire Book of Maccabees). In the first reading, Peter and the other apostles are standing in front of the Sanhedrin facing the high priest for preaching the word of God. When the high priest tells them they are disobeying the strict orders of the Sanhedren, Peter replies: "WE must obey God rather than men...God exalted him [Christ] at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins." Basically, Peter's making an in-your-face speech: "Why on earth would we listen to you, a mere mortal man, when we've got God and his Son telling us what to do?" The Sanhedrin, predictably, are furious and they want to kill Peter and his fellow disciples. Gamaleil, a Pharisee comes to their rescue and persuades the Sanhedrin to just flog the men instead of killing them. Although most of us today would be horrified at being flogged, these men rejoiced. Yes, rejoiced. They were happy they had "been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name."
Let's put a twist on this reading and put it in modern terms. Currently, the Church is standing in front of the whole world, airing its dirty laundry whether we like it or not. People are calling for the Pope to resign (how does that even work?) and others are maligning all priests. In the words of Father Joe at the last 4:45 p.m. Mass, the dumping on the Catholic Church has become a spectator sport. But wait...we should be proud to be Catholic. We've been given this amazing gift---to be part of the Church that can trace its roots back to the Son of God. Maybe this is our test. Maybe we should be rejoicing that God loves his Church so much that he decided His Church was "found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of a name."
The Second reading is full of rejoicing. Everyone in Heaven and on Earth are praising God, singing "Worthy is the Lamb, that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing." The whole of creation is praising their creator. This reading is from the Book of Revelation, so after an entire 2243 pages of mingled sadness and happiness (2243 pages in the Saint Joseph New American Bible: Giante Type), everyone is still praising God. We too should be praising God always, for He is good, regardless of whether things are going well for us or if everything is going wrong.
So finally, there is the Gospel. Jesus appeared to seven of his disciples-Simon Peter, Thomas (Didymus), Nathaniel, James, John and two others. We see the disciples working the same way they were when Jesus first called them: fishing. Jesus miraculously puts fish in their nets and makes them breakfast. After they breakfast, Jesus asks Peter "Do you love me?" three times. If we go back to Palm Sunday, we hear Peter denying Jesus, and yet here he is given the chance to redeem himself.
This is the kind of God we have. He forgave Peter and allowed Peter to say he was sorry. Our God is full of forgiveness--he can forgive anything, if we want Him to. We too are asked everyday by Jesus "Do you love me?" Let's say yes. And then what are we told by God? "Follow me." And so we do.
Catherine Lowe
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