Actions, Not Appearance
Michiel Peeters - Friends, we are in the time between Easter and Ascension, when Christ shows his disciples his risen presence and accustoms them to recognize it. On the morning of Easter, the Lord had asked Mary Magdalene to tell the apostles to return to Galilee, to their normal, daily circumstances. “There they will see Me” (Matt 28:10). They did so, and since they were fishermen, they went fishing.
Let us pay attention to how the Lord reveals Himself to them so that we, too, can recognize His risen presence. While they fish and their efforts remain fruitless, an unknown man from the bank asks them a question and suggests a new approach, and when they follow it, something exceptional happens.
Not only do they catch abundantly, but their vision sharpens, and they gain new energy to act. John is the first to realize: “It is the Lord.” But note this: he—and then the others—recognize Him, not because of His aspect, but because of how He acts—what He says and does. This is evident from the phrase: “None of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they realized it was the Lord.”
This is a constant in the testimonies of the disciples’ encounters with the risen Lord: they do not recognize him by his appearance—his “form” is different from before, not in contradiction, but also not immediately identifiable, as before—but they recognize him by his actions, by his way of doing things: by how He calls them back to themselves, asks the right questions, makes their hearts burn again, enhances their capacity to see and understand, and act.
The risen Lord shows himself through exceptional events that awaken our hearts, eyes, and freedom. The exceptionality of those events is easily recognized by wounded, searching hearts. Christ shows his presence not by us “seeing” Him, but by events before our eyes, whose exceptionality is recognizable and recognized by needy hearts—and in which those who have come to know the Lord recognize His unmistakable traits. And it is this presence that recreates them. Indeed, if we look at the apostles’ reaction, we see that their joy, sharpened outlook, and new strength are based not on the quantity of fish—153 large ones—not on the fruits of Christ’s presence, but on that presence itself. “‘It is the Lord.’ When … Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea,” to swim to the shore, to the Lord. My heart is glad because you live, O Christ.
After breakfast, Jesus looks at Peter and asks him a question. What does Christ want? He wants all people to be happy. He wants all to learn to live according to their “formula”: as a free relationship with the infinite Mystery, with the Father. To this end, they must know Him, Christ, for only by knowing and following the Lord can the human understand and accept itself and its destiny. On what does the Lord ground his work, his plan to reach all men and women?
On what does Christ ground his Church, the people called to make all humans realize their infinite value (“Feed my sheep”)? Christ bases his work—his plan for humanity—on nothing other than Peter’s affection for Him. He asks him, “Do you love me?” Which does not mean: what are you prepared to do for me? But, are you happy to have come to know me? Are you glad that I am there? Will you miss me when you do not perceive my presence? Will you look for me?
Here, we see the figure of the Christian emerge: someone deeply affectionate to the Lord, who continues to seek Him. While seeking Him, they change the world.
20250504 3rd Sunday of Easter C (John 21:1–19) (Homily by Fr Michiel Peeters, Tilburg University Chaplaincy)
