5th May - Third Sunday of Easter - Bishop Leahy's Lenten Pastoral on Holiness (Continued)

On this week's programme the SS102fm team continue our reflection on Bishop Brendan Leahy's Lenten Pastoral Letter "This Is What God Wants Of Us – Our Holiness." We also have our usual reflection on the Sunday Gospel and local notices.

You can listen to the podcast of this weeks full programme HERE.

This is What God Wants of Us - Our Holiness

John and Lorraine continued our reflection on Bishop Brendan's pastoral letter "This is What God Wants of Us - Our Holiness." Of course, just because Lent is over and we are well into the season of Eastertide doesn't mean that we can forget about holiness! The call to holiness is both universal (meaning that we are all called to holiness) and ongoing. It is a life-long endeavour of saying 'yes' to God's grace. As Bishop Brendan succinctly puts it - holiness is "love lived to the full, love of God and one’s neighbour."

In this week's programme we look at the section on 'Why is holiness important?' Bishop Brendan suggests that although we may not be perfect, the overall trend of our life and our effort to be holy matters:  "Each
one of us not only has a mission but is a mission. God wants some particular aspect of the Gospel to shine
out in our lives. If we live our life living love to the full, that is, in holiness, God’s word gets pronounced, as it
were, more clearly to the benefit of many."

Bishop Brendan also invites us to reflect on the following question: "You might think of people you know who you consider holy and ask yourself what specific word does their life speak to you. Each of our lives is speaking a word to the world around us." So we invite you to do the same during the coming week. Think about what word you proclaim to the world and what words those who are holy proclaim to the world.

You can listen to the reflection excerpted from the main programme podcast HERE.

You can read the full Pastoral Letter HERE.

Gospel - John 21:1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

‘I tell you most solemnly,
when you were young
you put on your own belt
and walked where you liked;
but when you grow old
you will stretch out your hands,
and somebody else will put a belt round you
and take you where you would rather not go.’

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’

Reflections on this week's gospel:

Word on Fire
English Dominicans
Centre for Liturgy
Sunday Reflections

Liturgical odds & ends

Liturgy of the Hours - Psalter Week 3

Saints of the Week
May 6th - St. Dominic Savio
May 7th - St. Rose Venerini

May 8th - St. Peter of Tarantaise

May 9th - St. Pachomius
May 10th - St. Comgall
May 11th - St. Ignatius of Laconi