ENCOUNTERING THE RISEN LORD
Greeting (Cf. Second Reading)
To the One who is sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb
be all praise, honor, glory and power.
May the risen Lord be with you all.
R/ And with your spirit.
Introduction
Perhaps we envy the apostles for having seen and experienced Jesus after he had risen from the dead. There is no reason to be envious of them: If we have faith, we too experience him as risen, alive, present, and sharing our life. If we have faith we know he is there when we suffer mishaps and failures or when we rejoice. If we have faith, we know Jesus is there when we strengthen and encourage one another. If we have faith, we know Jesus is with us when we share a meal of friendship, and, especially and deeply, when we eat together from the table of the Eucharist. Lift up your heads and be happy: the risen Lord is with us in life.
Penitential Act
When we sin, we act as if we want
to keep the Lord out of our life.
Let us ask him to forgive us.
(pause)
Lord Jesus, you walk by our side
when we suffer and struggle,
but often we do not recognize you:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, we encounter you
when we encourage the sick and disheartened,
but often we are not aware it is you:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you are present
when we share our joy and friendship at meals
and when you set before us the food of the Eucharist:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
forgive us our sins and restore our joy.
Walk by our side and lead us
to the happiness of everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
Let us pray to the Father
to give us enough faith and love
to recognize Jesus present in our life
(pause)
God our Father,
how different and how much richer our life would be
if we were more aware of the presence
of your risen Son Jesus among us.
Give us enough love and faith to see him
inspiring and guiding our community
on the road of compassion and justice.
Make us feel his presence
when we are toiling and struggling as if in vain.
Make us recognize him as a guest
in our homes and at our family meals.
Make us fully aware that he is among us
when we meet for prayer and the Eucharist.
For then we will be strong and joyful
through Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading (Acts 5:27b-32,40b-41): We Bear Witness That Jesus Is Our Guide and Saviour
No threats from the powerful can silence a Church that bears witness to the risen Lord. Like the apostles, we can count on the strength of the Holy Spirit.
1 Reading: ACTS 5:27-32, 40b-41
When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high priest questioned them, “We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name? Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles said in reply, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and saviour to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them. So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.
Responsorial Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
or: Alleluia.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit. R.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing. R.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks. R.
Second Reading (Revelation 5:11-14): All Glory to the Lamb That Was Sacrificed
The apostle John encourages his persecuted Christians with a vision from heaven. There he sees Jesus in his glory. Though Jesus was slain, he is alive and glorious. Those brought to life by him share in his risen life and victory.
2 Reading: REVELATION 5:11-14
I, John, looked and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living creatures and the elders. They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and blessing.” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in the universe, cry out: “To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor, glory and might, forever and ever.” The four living creatures answered, “Amen, ” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia.
Christ is risen, creator of all;
he has shown pity on all people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel (John 21:1-19 or 21:1-14): It Is the Lord!
The apostles were toiling, apparently without success. They did not recognize the Lord’s presence. But he was really with them, as he is with us, to give us strength and hope.
Gospel: JOHN 21:1-19
At that time, 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. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
Commentary
The apostles gladly suffer for obeying God above any other human authority. John receives a vision of the triumphant Church in their heavenly glory and adoration of the Lamb of God. At the Lake of Tiberias, the Risen Christ reconfirms Peter in his Mission.
In the present times of “zero tolerance” in the Church, the act of Jesus must give us pause. There is no denying that as a Church we must flee sin like a plague. But we must also be on our guard against the temptation to ostracize our brothers and sisters for good. Zero tolerance to sin, always; zero tolerance to the sinner, never. Honestly, if we were to cast off everyone who sins, who would remain? We can only confess like the Psalmist: “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?” (Ps. 130:3). If Jesus reconfirmed a broken, sinful soul like Peter to head the Church, it is an invitation for us to recognize that we are all sinners one way or other, and we must help one another to find that love for God hidden in our hearts, which will lead us to conversion.
For the leaders of the Church.
Ask and answer yourself: “Do I love Jesus more than everything and everyone else?”
Intercessions
Encountering the Risen Lord
Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for all those who bear witness to him in their life and apostolate, and let us say:
R/ Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
– Lord, your apostles worked all night without result. Sustain the courage of all your apostles today who toil without apparent success. And so we pray:
R/ Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
– Lord, the apostles did not recognize you. Often, we too do not see that you are there. Make us aware that you are with us. And so we pray:
R/ Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
– Lord, today the net of the Church is filling again with peoples from all over the world. Let that net not tear but let it accommodate all, we pray to you, Lord:
R/ Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
– Lord, also today in many places your messengers are warned not to speak in your name. May your witnesses obey you rather than people and preach your word without fear, we pray:
R/ Lord: Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
– Lord, your disciples are persecuted also today, they are put into prison and tortured. Give them the courage to be faithful and to bear their sufferings with joy, we pray:
R/ Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
– Lord, may our Christian communities together with the whole of creation give you glory, honour and praise, we pray:
R/ Risen Lord, hear our prayer.
Lord, it is good to be here with you. You are our strength and our joy, now and for ever. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God, loving Father,
you put good words on our tongue
and you fill our hands with good gifts;
you entrust even your Son to us
and you place him into 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,
today and tomorrow and for ever. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
With joyful hearts we praise the Father for Jesus’ continuous presence in his Church as a whole, in its leaders and in all of us.
Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer
With the fullest trust we pray
to our Father in heaven
that he will always be with us
through his risen Son Jesus Christ, and we say: R/ Our Father…
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Strengthen us with the power of your Son,
the Lamb that was slain for us,
that our faith may remain firm
in persecution, contradiction and trials,
as we look forward with joyful hope
for the coming in glory
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom…
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord,
who says to us, his disciples today:
Come and eat.
He takes bread and gives it to us.
Happy are we that the Lord is here. R/ Lord, I am not worthy…
Prayer after Communion
Loving Father,
we are very happy to thank you
for letting us encounter your Son Jesus
here in this Eucharist.
Let the words in which we recognize his voice
keep resounding in our heart and life.
Now that we have shared his table together,
may his bread of life give us the strength
to bear witness to his name
and to encourage our brothers and sisters.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
It is good that we have become more aware
how the risen Lord is with us
not only in this Eucharist
but also in the life of every day.
Let us learn to see the signs of his presence
in the people we meet,
in the good they do to us
and all we do for one another.
May this bring you great joy
and may almighty God bless you all:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the joy of the Lord.
R/ Thanks be to God.