April 25, 2025 // Friday in the Octave of Easter
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 21:1-14
Reflect on the Word //
After experiencing the death of someone very close to me, I cannot read the Resurrection accounts the way I did before. I used to scoff at the disciples’ actions and responses; now, I understand that they were immersed in grief. What is more, the way Jesus interacts with them post-Resurrection is overwhelming. Jesus is consistent, patient, compassionate, and present. He sees their human hearts dredged in darkness and, with salvific love, draws them again and again from the deep waters of what they had lived through.
In today’s Gospel account, the fishermen Peter and John return to the Sea, casting their nets as they had done before meeting Jesus. I used to judge Peter and John for going fishing. How could they just return to their former life?! There is so much to be done! But they weren’t going back or giving up; they were going forward in the way they knew how.
Jesus then calls to them from the shore in a familiar interaction. Jesus offers assurance and security. He performs another miracle of the fish, proving His continued provision and personal care for them. Then, John’s cry reverberates through my heart: “It is the Lord.” And Peter—good Peter, who still held the guilt of his Good Friday betrayal—immediately jumps into the water to swim to Jesus on the shore.
This is what my heart does when it’s plunged in grief and I see the Lord in my prayer. He is my very life. So I jump into the water, frantically and ungracefully, using all my dried-up strength to reach the One I love.
Finally, Jesus quietly feeds them. Again, I used to think, Jesus, start preaching! This is precious time before You send them to the ends of the earth! Jesus knew what they really needed: food and rest in His presence. Jesus deals tenderly with the broken, hope-filled hearts of the disciples He loves. He desires to minister to us in our grief, darkness, or confusion too. He always comes for us, provides for us, and feeds us. And He is always with us.
Relate to the Lord // Set aside time for personal prayer to allow Jesus to minister to your heart today.
Olivia Spears lives in Kentucky, where sweet tea and bourbon flow like milk and honey. She holds degrees in Theology and Catechetics from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and works from home while enjoying her children and husband. She curates relevant and inspiring content for Catholic women as Blog Manager. She is the narrator of Set a Fire, And Hay Became Holy, and All She Had as well as a contributing author for Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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