From Absence to Encounter: Recognizing the Risen Christ in the Ordinary

Today’s Gospel (see below) captures a crucial moment: the disciples, still disoriented after Jesus’ death, begin to perceive his presence in a completely new way. Jesus—though truly dead—now lives as the Christ of faith, the decisive, living Word of God, calling them, and us, into authentic life. Just as in our own lives, the Christ we proclaim in faith had a transformative presence that broke into disciples’ ordinary world and reorientented it. The account invites the reader to see how the risen Christ becomes present—not through physical spectacle, but through encounters in the midst of everyday life.

The disciples, returning to the familiar work of fishing, are living in the aftermath of the cross—in a world where Jesus' physical presence is truly gone. The night they spend fishing symbolizes this new condition: a time of confusion and apparent absence of divine guidance. Their empty nets reflect the barrenness of human effort when separated from genuine encounter with the living Christ.

The turning point comes at daybreak—a theological symbol of awakening and revelation. The figure on the shore calls out to them tenderly ("Children"), but they do not recognize him. This is crucial: the presence of Christ after death is no longer physical but paradoxical. He is present yet hidden, encountered only through the eyes of faith.

The instruction to cast the net “on the right side” is not a mere fishing tip. It is a call to trust and obedience, even when human logic offers no hope. Their overwhelming catch reveals that revelation is an event of grace, not of human achievement. The cry “It is the Lord!” is not based on sight, but on an inner knowing—a recognition through faith, not the senses.

Peter’s impulsive leap into the sea symbolizes the return to discipleship: a movement from failure and denial toward renewed relationship. The fire and meal on the shore are not simply about eating breakfast, but signify fellowship—the new life shared by a community that lives from Christ's risen, yet hidden, presence.

The 153 fish? Not a secret code, but an image of fullness: the universal mission of the Church, embracing diversity without breaking unity.

Finally, the silence—"none dared to ask him, 'Who are you?'"—expresses the mystery of this new kind of presence. The disciples do not encounter the physical Jesus, but the Christ of faith: a living Word that arises within the event of trust and obedience. It is not that Jesus lives beyond death in some supernatural realm, but that faith itself opens a new horizon of authentic life. In encountering Christ, the living Word of God, the disciples—and we—are called into authentic life beyond death and despair.

 

Gospel - Friday in the Easter Octave

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.

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Mercy in the Present Moment: A Reflection for Divine Mercy Sunday

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Easter as a Call, Not a Memory