Word to the Wise
Friday, April 14, 2023 - Octave of Easter - Fri
[Acts 4:1-12 and John 21:1-14]"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." [John]
Chapter 21 of the Gospel According to John is referred to by scripture scholars as the "Johannine Appendix," because it appears to have been added a bit later to the original witness. First of all, the style of the Greek is different, and second, the first part of the chapter strongly resembles the account of Jesus' call of the first disciples in Luke 5. Nevertheless, the early church accepted this scripture as part of the gospel and inspired. I recommend reading the whole chapter to get the "big picture." The important point lies in the difference between the "disciple whom Jesus loved" and Peter.
It is the Beloved Disciple who recognizes Jesus and tells the others in the boat. Note that these include Thomas and Nathanael, both of whom were skeptics in the story of Jesus. The Beloved Disciple's relationship to Jesus is based on the commandment of love. Peter's relationship, when restored by his three-fold protestation, will be one of a commission to lead the community of faith. Both dimensions - the personal relationship to the Lord and the structural leadership of the community/church are needed. A similar tension would arise (earlier than the composition of the Gospel According to John) in the confrontation between Peter and Paul over what was necessary for gentile converts. The same tension continues even today in the balance between those who emphasize the hierarchical dimension of the church and those who emphasize the nature of the church as the "People of God." [cf. Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes, the documents from Vatican II on the theological and pastoral dimensions of the church.] The ordinary Catholic will experience this in how any local ministry is exercised and how authority is expressed.
All of this places each of us in the continuation of the preaching of the gospel as expressed in the scriptures. It is not just ancient history. It is our own life-story of faith. AMEN