Bishop Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the Gospel of this Sunday, May 4, 2025, entitled: “I will praise you, Lord, forever. Alleluia.”

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Acts 5:27-32, 40-41: “We are witnesses of all these things, and so is the Holy Spirit.”

Psalm 29: “I will praise you, Lord, forever. Alleluia.”

Revelation 5:11-14: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches.”

John 21:1-19: “Jesus took the bread and the fish and gave them to the disciples.”

Today’s enormous joy Easter Sunday brought us continues to resonate: “The Lord is here! The Lord is among us!” This Sunday’s Gospel contains an exceptional account of Jesus’ appearance to the apostles by the Sea of ​​Galilee. It all begins at night, with a restless Peter who cannot remain passive and quickly calls his companions together to solve their daily financial problems. And he begins by doing what he knows best: fishing. He knows the Sea of ​​Galilee by heart, its special places, and the opportune times. He possesses the unwavering constancy of someone who has made fishing his profession. But this has been a night of failure and a wasted effort: “He caught nothing.” Dawn begins, and while for some the day ends, for Peter and his companions the blessings begin. “A stranger” questions their work and asks them to cast their nets recklessly, as if they didn’t know their lake! And a miracle happens. Miracle of the Resurrection: when everything seems like a failure, useless, when we are about to give up… Christ comes to our side, and with His word and in His name, all things change. Yes, we can and should do the best we know how, but we always need to do it in His name and with His word. There, the Lord is very close to us, even if we are unable to recognize Him. When we move from darkness to light, the Lord accompanies us; when we walk through difficulties and when we live with joy, the Lord is also with us… even if He seems a stranger, He is there to love us, to encourage us, to fill us with hope.

Jesus welcomes with simplicity and love those fishermen who were on the verge of failure. His welcome is a fish and a loaf of bread. Just enough to revive the hungry, enough to spark dialogue and share our sorrows. The burning embers so that the fish, barely caught, complete the necessary nourishment. Burning embers, fish, and bread… signs of waiting, signs of trust and friendship that Jesus offers his disciples. No reproach for abandoning them, no scolding for running away, no comment that hurts or upsets. It is the burning embers, the fish, and the bread that create that atmosphere of intimacy, the Eucharist, an atmosphere of free and unconditional forgiveness. When Jesus took the bread and gave it to them along with the fish, they surely remembered the last supper they had celebrated with the Master and the story they had heard from the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Now it is their turn to recognize him when they break the bread. From then on, they would always trust in the Lord and in his name they would always share the bread of the word, the bread of life, the bread of hope.

But Jesus has even more surprises in store for him in this apparition. He addresses Peter and questions him about his love. But in his words, Jesus is telling him: “I love you. You denied me three times, but my love is greater than your betrayal.” Now Peter can understand that his love can only be based on Jesus’ love; he cannot rely on himself. At the Last Supper, he dared to dress up as a hero: “Even if everyone betrays you, I will never do so. I will lay down my life for you.” “That’s not true, Peter. You think you love me, but you don’t love me. You love your own selfishness and apparent generosity. Likewise, you want to prove to yourself that you love me, but I don’t need proof; my love for you is faithful.” Now, with these questions, Peter begins to truly understand what it means for Christ to love him, forgive him, and restore him. “You know everything. I can only love you because you have been faithful, because you sustain my love. And I will not be able to follow you or be faithful if I do not find in you every day the source of my own love.” Loving questions from Jesus that reach deep within Peter, that heal his own shame, that lift him up and entrust him with his most cherished treasures: “Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.” Incisive questions also for each of us, who seek coherent and committed answers, interior answers, sincere answers: “X, do you truly love me?”

Today, too, we are asked if we truly love him. Let us meditate on our response and look at our actions and our love for our brothers and sisters, especially those most in need. Then we can say to Jesus: “Lord, you know everything; you know well that I love you.” Our response implies being consistent with the Gospel in both our inner and outer lives. A true Christian cannot be content with a quiet and indifferent devotion in the face of the grave injustices of our society. He must be a Christian who, in his environment and surroundings, seeks truth, justice, and true peace. Love for Christ is manifested in love for one’s neighbor. Jesus demands consistency from us.

We must answer a great question with our lives: How does my love and faith in Jesus influence my daily, social, family, and political life? Let us contemplate the Risen Jesus and experience his presence, which is manifested to us today in three very concrete signs: 1. He rescues us from our failures; 2° He shares food with us, teaching us that shared bread and fish give life and strengthen the community; and 3° He demands that His love be made concrete in love for our brothers and sisters. His question remains echoing in our hearts and ears: “Do you love me more than these?”

Lord, you who have renewed us in spirit by restoring our dignity as your children, grant us, filled with joy and hope, to build the Kingdom of your Son and await the glorious day of resurrection. Amen.