Friday, April 25, 2025 - Octave of Easter - Fri
[Acts 4:1-12 and John 21:1-14]
"Come, have breakfast." Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. [John]
The twenty-first chapter of the Gospel According to John is referred to by scripture scholars as the "johannine appendix." Its language and content of the portion we see in today's scriptures seem to be a combination of two traditions about Jesus that were added during the long process of arriving at a "final version." The story of the great catch of fish seems to repeat the tradition recounted in the Gospel According to Luke when Jesus called Peter, James and John to follow him. But it also seems to recall the incident of the multiplication of the loaves and fish with its "eucharistic" overtones.
In general, the gospels represent an effort to provide a written record of the ministry and teachings of Jesus in the light of his death and resurrection. The first of the four gospels - the Gospel According to Mark - is the simplest and seems almost "bare bones" compared with the others. Matthew and Luke repeat much of Mark but add additional material from other witnesses. The Gospel According to John, written at least 60 years after Jesus' death and resurrection shows growing theological reflection on the entire mission and significance of God's plan of salvation. This growth is reflected by the addition of the "appendix" that provides the gospel scripture for today's celebration. It is a preaching that weaves together the various accounts available to the evangelist(s). We receive and live this witness along with St. Paul's witness and the other scriptural witnesses and weave them all into a broader tapestry that forms TRADITION. It is not simply a "reliving" of PAST events, but a dynamic and PRESENT faith. AMEN.
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