April 18, 2010
Third Sunday of Easter

Reading 1

Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41

When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in
and made them stand before the Sanhedrin,
the high priest questioned them,
“We gave you strict orders, did we not,
to stop teaching in that name?
Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching
and want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
But Peter and the apostles said in reply,
“We must obey God rather than men.
The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,
though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior
to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins.
We are witnesses of these things,
as is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles
to stop speaking in the name of Jesus, and dismissed them.
So they left the presence of the Sanhedrin,
rejoicing that they had been found worthy
to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

R.   (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
     but with the dawn, rejoicing.

R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I, John, looked and heard the voices of many angels
who surrounded the throne
and the living creatures and the elders.
They were countless in number, and they cried out in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power and riches, wisdom and strength,
honor and glory and blessing.”
Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth
and under the earth and in the sea,
everything in the universe, cry out:
“To the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor, glory and might,
forever and ever.”
The four living creatures answered, “Amen, “
and the elders fell down and worshiped.

At that time, 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.
 
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
He then said to Simon Peter a second time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”
Jesus said to him the third time,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time,
“Do you love me?” and he said to him,
“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger,
you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted;
but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands,
and someone else will dress you
and lead you where you do not want to go.”
He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
 

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:

The Jerusalem establishment tried to erase the effects of The Program.  They told the Disciples to stop teaching in Christ's name and blaming them for having Christ killed.

Peter and the Disciples replied:  "We must obey The Loving Programmer instead of you human programs.  The Loving Programmer, Whom our ancestors worshipped, restored Jesus's Program, even though you tried, and failed, to kill Him by crucifixion.

"The Programmer restored His Program, and raised Him to sit at His Right Hand, King and Savior, (restorer of other human programs).  Thus, He will grant His People the ability to repent and be forgiven (through the Sacrament of Reconciliation).  We have seen thise things, and so has The Holy Wireless Connector Who joins The Loving Programmer with those (human programs) who obey Him."

The Jerusalem religious establishment (heard all this and it went in one ear and out the other) told them to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, (The Living Program) and sent them away.  They left, rejoicing that they'd been found worthy to be attacked for the sake of His Name.

I will praise You, Loving Programmer of all, because You have restored my own program.

I will praise you, Loving Programmer, for you saved me from those who wanted to erase my program.  You brought me up and saved me from being lost like those whose programs spend eternity in the pit, away from you.

I will praise You, Loving Programmer, because You have restored my own program.

You who believe and obey, praise The Loving Programmer.  Thank Him.  His anger lasts but a moment, but His love for you lasts forever.  In the days before your own program is uploaded to Him, there will be sadness, but at that dawn, joy.

I will praise You, Loving Programmer, because You have restored my own program.

Hear, O Loving Programmer, and want to help me, actually, O Programmer, do provide me with Your programming assistance.  You have altered programs, transforming sorrow into joy.  I will be show my gratitude forever. 

I will praise You, Loving Programmer, because You have restored my own program.

I, John, (taken to Heaven) had my senses filled with the voices of many Programming Assistance around The Loving Programmer, along with countless living creatures and elders behond counting.  They cried loudly:  "Worthy is The Loving Program (Who sacrificed Himself to save those who would believe and obey) to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing."

Then, I heard every living program in Heaven, on, under, and in the earth and sea, and even the inanimate programs of the universe cry:  "To the One Who sits on The Throne (The Loving Programmer) and to His Son, Who willingly and obediently sacrificed Himself, be blessing, honor, glory, and might for all the time to come."

The four living creatures answered "So be it.", and the elders fell down and worshipped.

Then, Jesus, (The fully restored Program, still appearing in human form) showed Himself to His disciples at the Sea of Tiberias in this way:

Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana, Zebedee's sons, and two other disciples decided to go fishing with Peter.

They went out, and that night were able to get nothing into their nets.

At dawn, Jesus, The Restored Program, was on the shore, but they didn't realize it was Him.  He said, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?)  (souls as "spiritual food"?), and they said "No."

He said, "Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you'll find something."  (Conservatives delight in seeing He did not instruct them to try to save the souls on the left).  They cast the net, and it was so full of fish that He programmed to be there that they couldn't pull it in.  John told Peter, "It is The Living Program, Jesus Christ, our Lord."

When Peter heard that, he, barely dressed, jumped into the sea.

The other Disciples came ashore, dragging the net with the fish.  When they got on land, they saw a charcoal fire with fish cooking, and bread.  Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."  So, Peter dragged the net ashore, full fo 153 large fish.  (At several pounds apiece, we see that Peter was either an unusually strong man or that he was given great strength for the occasion.)

Even though there were so many hundred pounds of fish, the net (The Church) could handle them all without breaking.

Jesus said, "Come, and have breakfast."

None of the Disciples dared to ask Him Who He was, because they knew it was Jesus, The Lord.

Jesus took the bread, and gave it to them, as well as some of the fish.  That was the third time Jesus had appeared to them in His Perfectly Restored Program.

After breakfast, Jesus said three times to Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than the other disciples?"

He answered:  "Yes, Lord.  You know that I love You."

Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."

Then, He asked again, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?".

Peter said, "Yes, Lord.  You know that I love You."

Jesus said, "Tend My sheep." and asked him, for the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?"

Peter was distressed at having been asked three times, and said  "Lord, You know everything;  You know that I love You."

Jesus said, "Feed My sheep."  Then, He said, "You will die as I did, glorifying God."  Then, He said (to Peter and to all of us) "Follow Me."