Salvation is
found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to
mankind by which we must be saved. – Acts 4:12
NAMES
“Just do it!” is a popular slogan for an equally popular brand name, Nike. Not many know that Nike was a struggling athletic shoe company until it became associated with arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan made Nike so big that they came up with his own line, the Air Jordan. Like Nike, the Chicago Bulls that Michael Jordan played for in his heyday became a household name because of him. They won six championships with Jordan at the helm. It can be said that the name Michael Jordan is synonymous to basketball, the Chicago Bulls and Nike.
What’s in a name? It is the reference by which an object or person
is identified or recognized. Today’s reading reminds us that for us who
believe in Jesus, His name is everything! Only through His name are we
saved. And Jesus Himself, acknowledging the power that His name
possesses, declares that anything we ask in His name, He will do for us!
In the game of basketball, the name Jordan may be the king, but in the
game of life, the name Jesus is the King of kings! In His name. Amen! Erwin Roceles
1ST READING
Today
is the feast day of St. Mark, but we do not celebrate it as we continue
to celebrate the Solemnity of the Resurrection of Christ. Mark’s Gospel
is a work that has come out of a faith community very soon after the
death of Jesus. Yes, Mark writes it, but it really expresses the
experience of his community of faith. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to
write a new gospel in terms of how our faith develops as we follow
Jesus.
Acts 4:1-12
1 After
the crippled man had been cured, while Peter and John were still
speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard,
and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 They laid hands on Peter and John and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the word came to believe and the number of men grew to about five thousand. 5 On the next day, their leaders, elders, and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly class. 7 They brought them into their presence and questioned them, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, 10 then
all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the
name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised
from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. 11 He is the ‘stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 There
is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under
heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
P S A L M
Psalm 118:1-2, 4, 22-24, 25-27
R: The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Let the house of Israel say, “His mercy endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His mercy endures forever.” (R) 22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 By the Lord has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24 This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it. (R) 25 O Lord, grant salvation! O Lord, grant prosperity! 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. (R)
GOSPEL
Jesus
continues to appear to His disciples. He knows that these appearances
are important to instill the truth of the resurrection in the minds and
hearts of the Apostles so that when they meet adversity in proclaiming
the resurrection they will not falter in their faith. This is also why
we should remember the graces God has given us — so that we will never
doubt His goodness to us or His presence in our lives.
John 21:1-14
1 Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. 2 Together
were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in
Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. 3 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. 4 When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” 6 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. 7 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. 8 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. 9 When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” 11 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. 12 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. 13 Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.
REFLECTION
“IT IS THE LORD”
The
disciples were down, discouraged and incomplete. They numbered seven,
instead of Twelve. They went out fishing the whole night and caught
nothing. But when Jesus came and directed their efforts and their
drooping spirits, John the evangelist writes: “They caught much, and
they caught 153 large fish” (v. 11). Amidst the big catch, their net was
not torn.
The exact number of 153 for the catch of large fish is believed to be
symbolic. According to St. Jerome, the Greek zoologists catalogued a
total of 153 species of fish (cf also Ezekiel 47:10; Psalm 104:24-25).
This was believed to be the universal number of the variety of fish
available in the earth’s seas.
This periscope can mean two things:
1. The mission is universal. The Apostles were to work not just for the
salvation of a few, like the Jews as a selected class. They are being
sent for the fulfillment of God’s reign among all peoples. To use the
parlance of the Gospel, the Apostles were to be fishers of all men.
2. The success of the mission is Jesus’ gift. Not the number of the
disciples, not the passion and hard work of the disciples alone, not
that the disciples were deserving. The Spirit of Jesus present and
working in the midst of the disciples, and in spite of their
limitedness, is the true dynamo. The beloved disciple declared it right:
“It is the Lord.” Fr. Domie Guzman, SS
"Thank You, Lord, for Your presence during moments of darkness in my life. Thank You for making all things well. "
Source: http://kerygmafamily.com/modules/dailyreadings/read.php?date=2014-04-25
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