Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. Apr 9, 2010 - Friday Meditation (And I will run to You)
| Apr 9, 2010 - Friday Meditation (And I will run to You) |
 |
 |
 |
| Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D. | |||
| Written by Bobot Apit | |||
| Thursday, 08 April 2010 13:32 | |||
|
Do you run to the Lord when you meet setbacks, disappointments, or trials? The Lord is ever ready to renew us in faith and to give us fresh hope in his promises.
Friday in the Octave of Easter Acts 4:1-12 Psalm 118:1-2+4, 22-24, 25-27a
J ohn 21:1-14 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tibe'ri -as; and he revealed himself in this way. (2) Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathan'a-el of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zeb'edee, and two others of his disciples were together. (3) Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. (4) Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. (5) Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any fish?" They answered him, "No." (6) He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. (7) That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and sprang into the sea. (8) But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. 9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish lying on it, and bread. (10) Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." (11) So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn. (12) Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. (13) Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. (14) This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Meditation by Don Schwager
W hy didn’t the apostles immediately recognize the Lord when he greeted them at the Sea of Tiberias? John gives us a clue. He states that Peter decided to return to his home district of Galilee, very likely so he could resume his fishing career. Peter was discouraged and didn’t know what to do after the tragedy of Jesus’ death! He went back to his previous career out of despair and uncertainty. The other apostles followed him back to Galilee. When was the last time Peter was commanded to let down his net after a futile night of fishing? It was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee when the Lord dramatically approached Peter in his fishing boat after a futile night of fishing and commanded him to lower his nets (see Luke 5:4-11). After the miraculous catch, Jesus told Peter that he would be ‘catching people” for the kingdom of God. Now Jesus repeats the same miracle. John, the beloved disciple, is the first to recognize the Lord. Peter impulsiv ely leaps from the boat and runs to the Lord. Do you run to the Lord when you meet setbacks, disappointments, or trials? The Lord is ever ready to renew us in faith and to give us fresh hope in his promises. Skeptics who disbelieve the resurrection say the disciples only saw a vision of Jesus. The gospels, however, give us a vivid picture of the reality of the resurrection. Jesus went out of his way to offer his disciples various proofs of his resurrection – that he is real and true flesh, not just a spirit or ghost. In his third appearance to the apostles, after Jesus performed the miraculous catch of fish, he prepared a breakfast and ate with them. Peter’s prompt recognition of the Master and exclamation, "It is the Lord!" stands in sharp contrast to his previous denial of his Master during the night of arrest. The Lord Jesus reveals himself to each of us as we open our hearts to receive his word. Do you recognize the Lord's presence in your life and do you receive his word with faith? "Lord Jesus, you are the Resurrection and the Life. Increase my faith in the power of your resurrection that I may never doubt your word nor stray from your presence."
Supplementary Reading True Repentance in a Nation
When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. ~ 2 Chronicles 34:19
J osiah was a godly king in Israel . However, before he came to power, the nation had fallen into all kinds of evil. One man, Manasseh, had brought the nation to a condition of inexorable evil. God finally had enough.
Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down (2 Kings 21:12-13).
Josiah came into power just before this judgment. He began to clean up the evil by burning all the idolatrous temples, ridding prostitution and homosexuality from the streets, and destroying occult shrines. He did this without the benefit of even reading God's Word, but through the Holy Spirit working in his heart. Then one day the ancient Scriptures were discovered in the temple that had lain dormant for years.
They had a profound impact on King Josiah.
When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: "Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book" (2 Chronicles 34:19-21).
Josiah was broken. He tore his robes in repentance. He fell to his knees and repented for the wickedness of his nation. He stood in the gap, and God honored Josiah; however, it wasn't enough. God still had to judge the nation for its previous wickedness under the reign of Manasseh.
"Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what He spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before Me and tore your robes and wept in My presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord. Now I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here." ... (2 Chronicles 34:27-28).
God spared Josiah during his reign, but after he died judgment came upon the nation.
No nation is immune from God's judgment. Pray for your nation today. Pray that your nation will have a repentant heart among the leaders and the people. -- OS Hillman
EL SHADDAI Radio Program: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=50&tid=1
GOD BLESS US ALL!
O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi! PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.
Newer news items:
Older news items:
|
|||
| Last Updated on Thursday, 08 April 2010 18:43 |
User Menu
Who's Online
We have 41 guests onlineDonate
Please consider supporting the "ReVOTElution of Hope" for Sorsogon as the Pilot Province. Please see "ReVOTElution" Banner on this page for details.
Quote of the Day
"I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.' "--Richard Jeni
Discovering Christ in the events of our life.
Jesus Christ... is the stone which has become the head of the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (First Reading of the Mass, Acts 4:12). The Apostles have left Jerusalem for Galilee as the Lord had told them to (cf Matt 28:7).
They are there beside the lake: at the same place or at one similar to the one where Jesus found them and invited them to follow him. Now they have gone back to the old occupations they had when the Lord first called them. Jesus finds them again immersed in their work. And He revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together (John 21:2 ff). There are seven of them altogether. It is just twilight. Other boats have already gone out fishing. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing’: They said to him, ‘we will go with you’: They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing.
At dawn Jesus stood on the beach. The risen Jesus comes seeking his own, to strengthen them in the Faith and in his friendship and to continue explaining to them the great mission that awaits them. His disciples did not know that it was Jesus; they still don’t recognize Him. They are about a hundred yards from land. At this distance, at daybreak, they cannot make out the man’s features very well, but they can hear as soon as He began to speak: Friends, have you caught anything? the Lord asks them. They answered him, ‘No’. He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some’: And Peter obeys. So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish. John confirms Peter’s inner conviction. Bending towards him he says It is the Lord. Peter, who has been holding himself back until that moment, suddenly takes a leap as if he has been given a push. He doesn’t wait till the boats get to the shore. As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he girded up his tunic and threw himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.
John’s love immediately recognized the Lord on the shore: It is the Lord! Love, love is farsighted. Love is the first to appreciate kindness. The adolescent Apostle, who felt a deep and firm affection for Jesus, because he loved Christ with all the purity and tenderness of a heart that had never been corrupted, exclaimed: ‘It is the Lord’! (J. Escrivá, Friends of Gad, 266).
During the night, on their own, in the absence of Christ, they had laboured in vain. They had been wasting their time. In the morning, when it was light, when Jesus was present, when He gave light with his word, when He directed the operation, the nets were completely filled as they were brought to land.
The same thing happens to us every day. In the absence of Christ the day becomes night, an empty night, just another day in our life. Our efforts are not enough by themselves; we need God for them to bear fruit. By the side of Christ, when we have him with us, our days are enriched. Pain and illness are converted into a treasure that lasts beyond death: with Jesus by our side the question of living with those who surround us becomes a whole world of possibilities for doing good: opportunities for attention, encouragement, cordiality, prayer for others.
The real tragedy for a Christian starts when he can no longer see Jesus in his life; when because of lukewarmness or sin or pride, the horizon becomes clouded over; when things are done as if Jesus were not by his side, as if the Lord had never risen from the dead.
We should pray a lot to Our Lady asking her to help us to discover Our Lord in the midst of all the events of our lives; so that we may be able to say very often, It is the Lord! And this, too, whether it be a case of suffering or of joy, whatever the circumstances. By Christ’s side, always near him, we will be apostles in the middle of the world, in all circumstances and situations (cf F. Fernandez, Lukewarmness — the Devil in disguise).
With permission from Scepter UK. Short excerpt from IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD by Francis Fernandez. Available at SinagTala or Totus Bookstore 723-4326 or at www.totusbookstore. com (info@totusbookstore .com)
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The DEFENSORES FIDEI FOUNDATION actively spreads Ecclesial Information, Catechetical Instructions and Apologetics in pursuit of making good Catholics better Catholics. Any contribution to help this apostolate is heaven-sent and now TAX-DEDUCTIBLE (in USA). Please visit us at www.defensoresfidei .com.