"Alleluia Sing to Jesus"

As our Sunday celebration continues, I offer this version of "Alleluia Sing to Jesus":

 

Third Sunday of Easter

Today the Church celebrates the Third Sunday of Easter. The assigned readings are Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; and John 21:1-19. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 30 (Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Responsorial Psalm / 3rd Sunday of Easter / CBW#80/ Psalm 30

The Gospel reading is as follows:

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."

Reflections related to these readings:

Community in Mission: Back to the Future - A Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter (3 MAY 25)

Benedictine College: This Sunday, Peter Gets 4 Do-Overs as Easter Life Begins: Takeaways for Easter Sunday III (1 MAY 25)

Word on Fire: Becoming a Disciple of Jesus(Cycle C * Easter * 3rd Week)

National Catholic Register: Commentaries: Father Raymond J. de Souza: This Question Shook John Paul II - Now Another Man Must Answer Christ's Summons (3 MAY 25)

The Pilot: Echoes: Scott Hahn: Fire of love (2 MAY 25)

The Pilot: Echoes: Father Joshua J. Whitfield: Scripture Reflection for May 4, 2025, Third Sunday of Easter (30 APR 25)

Rhode Island Catholic: The Quiet Corner: The Prominence of St. Peter (1 MAY 25)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of May breakfasts.

Marcel LeJeune on Fruitfulness

"When I was in college, I took several semesters of archery. I really loved shooting arrows at targets, but what ultimately won me over was the nature of archery; you immediately know your results, based on where you hit the target. Still, there was one time that I hit a bullseye, and I still scored a zero.. . . . because I was aiming at the wrong target! The problem is - too many Catholic parishes and dioceses are doing the same thing. Yet, they don't even know that they are aiming for the wrong thing and missing the right target. Then when questions arise about why the results they expected aren't happening, they are puzzled. 

"To further illustrate this problem, we need to understand that what we value, we measure and what we measure, we value. . . ."

In a recent Catholic Missionary Disciples commentary related to a quote by C. S. Lewis ("The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time."), writer Marcel LeJeune reflected on the importance of fruitfulness in ministry being named more often than numbered.

To access the complete Catholic Missionary Disciples post, please visit:

Catholic Missionary Disciples: Fruitfulness Is Named More Than Numbered!

Reflection Starter from Sirach

"The works of God are all of them good; he supplies for every need in its own time." - Sirach 39:16

Teresa Brewer: "Music Music Music"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of Teresa Brewer presenting "Music Music Music":

 

On Rory McIlroy's Grand Slam and the Triumph of Matrimony and Other Catholic-related Topics

A number of articles/posts have recently been published on a variety of Catholic-related subjects worth considering.

To access some of these, please visit:

History Facts: A Catholic nun was the first U.S. woman to earn a Ph.D. in computer science.

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Shaun McAfee: Rory McIlroy's Grand Slam and the Triumph of Matrimony (1 MAY 25)

St. Paul Center: Where Is Jesus' Empty Tomb? (1 MAY 25)

Catholic World Report: Faith and the Hidden Resurrection (25 APR 25)

The Pilot: Study: Personal encouragement, Eucharistic adoration key to 2025 priestly vocations. (2 MAY 25)

U.S. Catholic: Jesus says love everyone - not just your inner circle (April 2025)

The Catholic Thing: Francis, Mercy, and Truth (22 APR 25)

Catholic News Agency: Young adults' Eucharistic devotion the inspiration behind '24 Hours for the Lord' event (27 MAR 25)

Belated Birthday Blessings, Lori!!!

Belated birthday greetings to niece Lori Dymek Kirch, who recently celebrated her birthday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with an outpouring of the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

Belated Birthday Blessings, Addie!!!

Belated birthday greetings to granddaughter Adalynn, who recently celebrated her birthday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with an outpouring of the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessings You have planned for us during the month of May.

Actor Seeks to Imitate Christ

The term "child star" sometimes brings to mind stories of kids whose lives went off the rails after achieving celebrity at a young age. Jonathan Jackson, however, never fell prey to those temptations, thanks to the supportive family members and co-workers who surrounded and grounded him after he was cast on ABC's General Hospital in 1993. In addition, Jonathan felt called from an early age to pursue a relationship with God, so he kept his ever-growing Christian faith as the foundation of his choices and actions.

In the years since then, Jonathan moved through various Protestant beliefs, but ultimately found a home in Eastern Orthodox Christianity a little more than 10 years ago. Jonathan also returned to General Hospital recently, so he joined me on Christopher Closeup to discuss his life, career, and faith.

When Jonathan joined the cast of General Hospital at age 11 as Lucky Spencer, he was inducted into soap opera's most famous family, portraying the son of the iconic Luke and Laura Spencer. "I was so blessed because my parents in real life are beautiful people that I've learned so much from," Jonathan explained. "And then in the artistic world, I was given Tony Geary and Genie Francis as these incredible parental figures and mentors."

That made a big difference in Hollywood, where the wrong environment can derail young people's lives. Jonathan recalled, "I was seeing very successful people, many of them with a high degree of fame, and I was seeing a lot of different versions of that. . . . Anthony Geary, for instance . . . was always one of the most humble people that I ever worked with. . . . It's the same thing for Genie. . . . Then, [there were] other examples that I would see around me of success and wealth and power - and they were miserable. Their lives were in chaos. I was a kid at the time, so I'm observing all of this and going, 'Wow, fame is horrible . . . and it's corrosive to the soul.' . . . So . . . at a young age, to have [Tony and Genie] that are so good at what they do and seasoned and everything, to have them tell you, ‘'isten, block it all out, trust your instincts,'     that was a huge blessing."

Another blessing was the way that Jonathan was slowly exposed to different Christian beliefs that kept him grounded. He noted, "I'm very thankful that in the various Protestant circles that I grew up in, I was sheltered from the most fundamentalist, puritanical, legalistic [views], which can often be a bit traumatizing for people. . . . There was, I would say, a very orthodox balance of grace and truth." After reading C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, Jonathan realized how prideful and judgmental he could be sometimes: "I started to become aware of it, and then every time it would happen, I would repent, and I'd say [to God], 'Take that from me.'"

"One of the main things that is focused on in Orthodox Christianity is, 'I am the chief of sinners,'" Jonathan continued. "And whoever you're talking with, no matter where they come from or what background they are, the disposition of the soul should be an imitation of Christ, one of humility to say, 'You will most likely enter the kingdom of heaven before me, so please pray for me and put a good word in for me. And I want my disposition to be that when you reach the [pearly] gates before I do, that, if Christ says, 'What was your experience with that person?' you might say, 'He never judged me.'"

This essay is a recent "Light One Candle" column by Tony Rossi, Director of Communications, The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.

Background information:

The Christophers

Reflection Starter from St. Athanasius

"Let us remember the poor, and not forget kindness to strangers; above all, let us love God with all our soul, and might, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves." - Saint Athanasius