Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter, C

In our Easter readings from the Gospel of John, there are a series of encounters between various groups of disciples and the risen Lord. But in each of the three episodes, one of the disciples is singled out as if a dance partner with the risen Christ.

I am away this weekend celebrating First Communion with my Grand-Niece.

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Transcript

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John. 

At that time Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberius. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathaniel from Cana and Galilee, Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing." They said to him, "We'll 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, but 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 153 large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast." 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 didn't 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 wish 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." 

The Gospel of the Lord. 

On Monday, the New York Times reported that Pope Francis had written an unpublished introduction to a book for young Catholics on sacramental marriage. Francis recalled his fondness for the Argentine dance, the tango. The male and female dancers courted each other and experienced closeness and distance, sensuality, attention, discipline, and dignity. 

Years ago, I took ballroom dance lessons. I wanted to learn to waltz, but I fell in love with Latin dances. In our Easter readings from the Gospel of John, there are a series of encounters between various groups of disciples and the risen Lord. But in each of the three episodes, one of the disciples is singled out as if a dance partner with the risen Christ. 

On Easter Sunday, in chapter 20 of John's Gospel, Peter and the beloved disciple come to the empty tomb and then go back home. But Mary Magdalene remains outside the tomb, weeping. She sees two angels inside the tomb who said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." In the tango, there is a chase sequence where the woman turns and walks forward while her partner pursues her from behind. If they are in rhythm, when she turns back around, she will step into his arms. Mary Magdalene turned around and saw Jesus standing there. 

Last Sunday, continuing on in chapter 20, Thomas, one of the twelve, was absent when Jesus entered the locked room where the disciples were gathered. A week later, Jesus returned and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands." When Thomas puts his hands up to Jesus' hands, their palms touch as in a mirror, like dancers face to face and palm to palm. In this famous tête a tête, Juliet says to Romeo, "For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy Palmer's kiss." 

In today's Gospel, chapter 21, Peter is invited to the dance. That complicated, wounded Peter returns to his fishing boat. Isn't that what we all do when we are ashamed? Peter flees to his boat, his nets, his vocation before Jesus, as if there is some time or place in his life where shame is not, where his wound is not, where Jesus is not. But of course, there is no time or place in our stories where Jesus isn't. He is just as present in our fleeing as he is everywhere else, just as loving in the midst of our failures as he is when we succeed. 

Around the fire Jesus builds, Peter's fear and denial, "I don't know the man," evolves into trust and worship. "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus unties Peter from the memory of his betrayal and then confirms him in his new identity of the one who will shepherd his sheep. Jesus was forgiving him and calling him anew. This is what happened on all of Jesus' resurrection appearances to his disciples, the grace of forgiveness and the grace of a new call. When we've done our worst, Jesus comes loving us all the way down and all the way back. As writer and research professor Brené Brown puts it, "Shame cannot survive being spoken." 

Only when he has faced his own wounds is Peter capable of caring for the most vulnerable. Jesus is guiding Peter back into his leading role within the community of disciples. What unbinds our past is what opens up our future. 

Jesus said, "Very truly I tell you, when you are younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." 

It's likely that John uses this poem to refer to the crucifixion death of Peter, but the poem is about the life-giving death of all of us who follow. As we grow older, we learn just how much we are led. We begin to see the forces that push and pull at us and seek to lead us. Only the very fortunate young think they are free agents. Jesus is telling us that if we want freedom from being pulled around by the world, that we have to accept being bound and led by Christ. 

He will bind us and lead us to places where we do not wish to go. But this very binding might also prove to be the binding up of our wounds. 

The empty nets cast in the dark of night are filled at dawn with an abundance that is almost too much to take in. Maybe that's why Peter had gone out fishing. It had been in the Sea of Galilee that Peter had left everything and followed Jesus. He was probably hoping that the Lord would meet him there again. 

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night,  take these broken wings and learn to fly; all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise." [MUSIC]