Octave of Easter 2019 - Friday - Recognizing the Risen Lord

The post-resurrection accounts of the disciples’ encounters with the Risen Jesus often contain an interesting detail. The disciples often do not recognize Jesus after his resurrection. Mary Magdalene thought that Jesus was the gardener. She did not recognize it was the Lord until he spoke her name. The disciples on the road to Emmaus walked, talked, and ate with Jesus but did not recognize him until he broke the bread.

In today’s Gospel, though Jesus was standing on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius, the disciples did not realize it was Jesus. It was not until they brought in this miraculous catch of fish that St. John, the beloved disciple recognized that it was Jesus.

Why this failure to recognize Jesus? Scripture isn’t exactly clear. Jesus truly had a material body after the resurrection: he truly stood on earthly ground, he sat and ate food. And it was the same body that was crucified: in the upper room, he bore the scars of crucifixion. But there was also something different. Where our earthly bodies decay, and age, and are bound by earthly limits: Jesus’ glorified body was something that no one had ever seen before. Heaven—eternity—now infused his earthly body.

One Scripture commentator ponders todays passage. He writes: you will ask how was it that John was the first to recognize Christ I reply that while Peter was occupied in drawing up the net full of great fishes John more carefully looked at Jesus and Jesus first presented his appearance to st. John because he most chiefly loved him and because he was most pure. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”

Among the Apostles, John had never married, and he also had a special purity about him, and a special Love for the Lord. John reclined at the breast of Jesus at the last supper. The more familiar and intimate anyone is with God—the more we truly contemplate, adore, and love God—through prayer and service, the more we will recognize the attributes of God when we come across them.
The same commentator explains that a pure heart means “first, a chaste mind free from all lust and carnal concupiscence. Second, a pure conscience, cleansed from every stain of sin, from evil thoughts and desires…evil intentions, especially duplicity and hypocrisy.”

St. John, likely recognized Jesus, because he loved Jesus above all things. He alone among the Apostles followed Jesus all the way to Calvary. May St. John, the patron of our diocese, help us to cultivate that purity of heart, that love of Jesus above all things, that we may recognize the Lord more easily in the circumstances of life, and come to behold his face in eternity, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

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Filled with Paschal joy, let us turn earnestly to God, to graciously hear our prayers and supplications.
For the shepherds of our souls, that they may have the strength to govern wisely the flock entrusted to them by the Good Shepherd.
For the whole world, that it may truly know the peace of the Risen Christ. And for the victims of the terrorist bombings in Sri Lanka and their families, for consolation in their grief, and assistance in their needs.
For our parish, that it may bear witness with great confidence to the Resurrection of Christ, and that the newly initiated hold fast to the faith they have received.
For our brothers and sisters who suffer, that their sorrow may be turned to gladness through the Christian faith.
That all of our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory may come to the glory of the Resurrection.
O God, you know that our life in this present age is subject to suffering and need, hear the desires of those who cry to you and receive the prayers of those who believe in you. Through Christ our lord.