 My favorite meal of the day is breakfast. Though I do not do it too often, I especially like going out for breakfast because I get the pleasure of both the food and the company of someone I enjoy being with. Sharing any meal is a joy, and while I love going out, I place greater value on partaking in a meal cooked by a friend in their home or offering a meal I have prepared for friends visiting at mine. This is because the action of laboring to cook for others is a work of love. Perhaps this is the reason that Jesus chose to leave His gift of the deepest, most unfathomable love as food: the gift of bread and wine become His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. * Certainly, it should not be a surprise, then, that the first thing the Risen Jesus did when the apostles encountered Him on the beach at the Sea of Galilee was to cook them breakfast. Interestingly, after they made their miraculous catch Jesus told them to bring some of those fish, and yet He had already prepared fish on a charcoal fire, saying, “Come, have breakfast.” (John 21:1-14)  Before they saw Jesus, 7 disciples – (only 5 are named as apostles) – were attempting to catch fish, and after trying all night, caught nothing. The Risen Jesus appeared on the shore, though they did not know it was Him, instructing them to go back out and cast their nets again. They caught so many fish that they could not pull in the net. It is not clear why they did not recognize Jesus, especially since at the end of the passage John wrote, “This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to His disciples after being raised from the dead.” (John 21:14) If they had seen Him as the Risen Lord twice before, why didn’t they recognize Him this time? It could be that John was emphasizing the need to stay alert since Jesus can and will come when we least expect. It could also be that he wanted us to realize the importance of recognizing Jesus by His outpoured mercy and love; once the disciples recognized His characteristic behaviors, they recognized Jesus.  Jesus instructed them to bring some of the fish they had just caught, presumably for their meal to be prepared with these. However, Jesus had already prepared some fish on a charcoal fire, along with some bread: He was ready and waiting, offering a meal to share with His friends. He said to them, ““Come, have breakfast” …. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.” (John 21:12-13) Notice the primacy of the bread. This is reminiscent of Jesus feeding the 5,000 during His public ministry. At that time, He took 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, gave thanks, (that is, blessed), and broke the bread and distributed it, feeding everyone, yet with 12 baskets of fragments left over. (John 6:1-15) By the end of that passage it was clear that Jesus had the authority of God. In this resurrection appearance, the disciples also came to a new clarity: Jesus had a new mission for them that would involve the same love and mercy He had for them. This becomes more obvious in the following verses in which Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him and then finally explained what He meant by “Feed my sheep.” Peter would need to completely follow God’s will, not his own, and that in doing so, he would not only spread the Kingdom, but one day he would willingly give his life in the same manner as Jesus: “Someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”  The second aspect of the primacy of the bread in this meal is a Eucharistic reference. The Bread Jesus gives is our sustenance; there is nothing like it, nothing more powerful, and nothing more important. He freely gives this bread, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, to empower us and to be ever close to our hearts as we enter into His. Therefore, it is important that we respond to the invitation of Jesus to “Come, have breakfast.” This invitation is not just a call to Eucharist, but it is a call to be fed by His presence and His grace through our prayer, and to give a response, that is, our good works. Eating this bread means participating in the mercy and love with which He lived and which He continues to pour out upon the world.  Celebrating Divine Mercy during Easter is a reminder of the opportunity to celebrate God’s gift by immersing ourselves in His ocean of mercy. Our response to such a gift ought to be the joy and gratitude which propels us outward to share the gift with others. Like the disciples on that shoreline, if we feed on the bread only Jesus can give, we become empowered to bring His mercy to the world. We need continual reflection upon Divine Mercy, how it is offered to us, and therefore, how we are to offer it to others. To help with this, we can reflect upon the resurrection appearances, (particularly the one in John 21), in order to better recognize the presence of the Risen Lord Jesus, to receive the gift of Divine Mercy He offers, and discern how to answer the call to share mercy with the world. When Jesus invites, “Come, have breakfast,” let us respond by sitting down to dine with Him.  May we have open ears and hearts so that we hear the invitation of Jesus to come have breakfast with Him! May we allow the bread Jesus gives to feed our hungry souls! And may we be receptive of Divine Mercy so that we might draw others into His mercy, too! Let us meet in the merciful heart of Jesus! Alleluia, Alleluia! Peace!
©Michele L. Catanese * In every culture meals have always been a significant gift of sharing. We can connect food with God’s mercy offered through freedom throughout the Old Testament, one of the first references being Melchizedek the priest who offered bread and wine as thanksgiving for the good works of Abraham that were associated with freedom from oppression. (Genesis 14:18-20). Of course, it is obvious in the Passover meal in which the meal is linked to the Israelites' liberation from Egypt. (Exodus 12:1-28) There are also numerous instances of the ritual sacrifice of animals, grains, and the like, as a way to offer thanks or as prayer to God for a variety of intentions. Images: 1. Photo taken by my husband; Dutch style pancakes and tea breakfast, Amsterdam, Holland. 2. Painting; Meal of Our Lord and the Apostles, by James Tissot, (1886-1894) 3. My photo; Sheep, taken in Scotland. 4. My photo; Eucharistic exposition in a small church in Amsterdam, Holland. 5. My photo; the Mediterranean Sea, taken from Vico Equense, Italy 6. Painting; Jesus, I Trust in You, Polish artist Eugeniusz Kazimirowski, as described by St. Faustina. For more go to https://sfarchdiocese.org/jesus-i-trust-in-you-the-history-and-mystery-of-the-divine-mercy-devotion/ Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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