Third Sunday of Easter May 01, 2022
Acts 5:27b-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19
As I began to read today’s Gospel, I am reminded of the movie Fiddler on the Roof. It has a question, “Do you love me?” Fiddler on the Roof is a musical by Sheldon Harnick. It is based on the book Tevye and his Daughters by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters who owned a milk business, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. Finally, he had to move out of his village because of the edict of the reigning Tsar who evicted the Jews from their village. There is a very tender and moving scene in the play, Fiddler on the Roof. Tevye and his wife Golda are being forced to move from their home in Russia. One day Tevye comes into the house and asks his wife, “Golda, do you love me?” “Do I what?” “Do you love me?” Golda looks at him and then responds: “Do I love you? Golda sighs as she looked at him and says, “Do I love you? For 25 years I’ve washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked the cows. After 25 years, why talk of love right now?” Tevye answers by saying, “Golda, the first time I met you was on our wedding day. I was scared, I was shy, I was nervous.” “So was I,” said Golda. “But my father and my mother said we’d learn to love each other,” Tevye continued, “and now I’m asking, Golda, do you love me?”
“Do you love me?” is the same question Jesus is asking Peter in the closing scene of the Gospel of John. The question “do you love me?” manifests the complete and ultimate surrender of Peter.
Today’s gospel brings before us the power of the risen Lord. The risen Lord is with us in all circumstances and events of our life. There are moments when we feel that all is lost and the Lord has forgotten us. In such situations, we need positive support, a sincere understanding which can place us on the right path. In the Easter context, we see Jesus as a consoler and help to the disciples filled with fear. He comes constantly to the disciples to be with them, guide them and encourage them. Today we have another account of Jesus appearing to his disciples on Easter Sunday wherein he prepares a meal for them and gives them support.
The Risen Lord blesses us with success and achievements. We often fail to acknowledge the presence of the Risen Lord behind our unexpected successes, great achievements, promotions at work, miraculous healings, and success in relationships. He is right there in our parties, celebrations, and occasions of rejoicing.
Let us remember that the Risen Lord is present in our pains and suffering: Acts 9:1-13 tells us how the Risen Lord transformed the life of Saul by pushing him down onto the Damascus Road and making him temporarily blind. The same Jesus often visits us in the form of accidents, illnesses, the loss of dear ones, pain, suffering, and problems in relationships.
At times in our lives, we may think that everything is over. The Risen Lord visits us through our friends and well-wishers: He is present in those who visit us and encourage us in our sad and desperate moments. The Risen Lord visits us in the form of unexpected help from the least expected persons in our dire needs.
The Risen Lord is very much present in our Christian worship. He is present on our altars during the Holy Mass to share His life with us; He is present in the words of Holy Scripture; He is there in the Sacraments, and He is there where two or three are gathered in his name.
Happy Sunday
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