by Father Patrick Longalong
The Easter season continues, and today’s Gospel brings us back to the of the Sea of Galilee — familiar waters for the disciples, but nowtouched by the mystery of the Resurrection. It’s the third time Jesus appears to them, and yet, even after witnessing his rising from the dead, the disciples return to fishing — not because they’ve lost faith, but perhaps because they didn’t know what else to do.
I think many of us have experienced something similar. Whenever we hit a significant moment in life — whether it’s achieving a long-awaited award, celebrating a milestone, going through a wedding, a funeral, or any life-altering event — there’s a tendency to return to a familiar place. For me, it often means going back in my heart to our old house. I remember how things felt when life was simple, when routines were known, when people I loved were still around. There’s a deep comfort in that. But it’s more than just nostalgia.
Sometimes, we go back to a familiar place or routine not simply to relive the past, but to help us figure out how to move forward. In unfamiliar territory, we retrace our steps — not to stay there, but to remember who we are where we began, and how God has led us so far. That’s where we find the disciples in today’s Gospel. They’re back in Galilee, casting nets into the sea. And like many of us in uncertain moments, they work hard but come up empty. Then, in the early light of morning, Jesus appears on the shore. They don’t recognize him right away, just as we often miss his presence in the middle of our daily grind or quiet moments of confusion.
But he calls out gently, “Children, have you caught anything?” It’s not a question of blame, but of invitation.And when they listen and respond, the net overflows with fish. That is when they recognize him — it is the Lord. What follows is a tender and transformative moment of healing. Beside a charcoal fire — echoing the one near which Peter had denied him — Jesus now invites Peter into restoration. Three times he had denied knowing Je- sus, and now, three times, he is asked, “Do you love me?” With each response, Peter is not only forgiven, he is entrusted with a mission: “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep.”
In that mission, there is also trust. Jesus is saying, “I still believe in you.”It’s a love that doesn’t hold Peter’s failure against him, but instead casts out fear and reawakens purpose. Perfect love, after all, drives out all fear. This is where Easter becomes personal. The Resurrection is not just a past event, it’s a present encounter. Jesus meets us where we are: in our familiar places, in our uncertainties, in our attempts to retrace our steps and find clarity. In Acts, we see the fruits of this encounter.
The apostles, once afraid, now boldly proclaim Christ, even rejoicing when they suffer for his name. And in Revelation, all creation worships the Lamb who was slain — Jesus, now glorified, who still bears thewounds of love. So today, if you’re revisiting something old to find your way through something new, you’re not alone. Jesus is there too — on the shore of memory, in the quiet of reflection, calling gently, “Do you love me?”
Readings for the Third Sunday of Easter
Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Rev 5:11-14
John 21:1-19 or 21:1-14
Father Patrick Longalong is the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, Queens Village, and associate vicar for Migrant and Ethnic Apostolates in the diocese.