Friends, we must attend to the mystical depth of today’s Gospel. At the break of dawn, the disciples spy a mysterious figure on the distant shore who shouts out to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” When they answer in the negative, he instructs them to cast the net over the right side of the ship. When they do, they bring in a huge catch of fish. 

This fishing expedition is a symbol of the Church (the barque of Peter), across space and time, at its apostolic task of seeking souls. The life and work of the Church, John seems to be telling us, will be a lengthy, twilight struggle, a hard toil that will often seem to bear little or no fruit. But after the long night, the dawn of a new life and a new order will break, the transfigured world inaugurated by Jesus. The catch of fish that he makes possible is the totality of people that Christ will gather to himself; it is the new Israel, the eschatological Church. 

We know this through a subtle bit of symbolism. When the fish are dragged ashore, John bothers to tell us their exact number, 153—a figure commonly taken in the ancient world to signify the total number of species of fish in the sea.

Gospel Reflections

Daily Gospel Reflections from Bishop Barron

3rd week of Easter

2nd week of Easter

Saturday

April 30

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Friday

April 29

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Thursday

April 28

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Wednesday

April 27

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Tuesday

April 26

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Monday

April 25

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Sunday

April 24

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Divine Mercy Sunday

Easter Octave

Saturday

April 23

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Friday

April 22

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Thursday

April 21

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Wednesday

April 20

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Tuesday

April 19

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Monday

April 18

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Sunday

April 17

Read

Easter

Holy Week

Saturday

April 16

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Holy Saturday

Friday

April 15

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Good Friday

Thursday

April 14

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Holy Thursday

Wednesday

April 13

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Tuesday

April 12

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Monday

April 11

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Sunday

April 10

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Palm Sunday

5th week of Lent

Saturday

April 9

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Friday

April 8

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Thursday

April 7

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Wednesday

April 6

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Tuesday

April 5

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Monday

April 4

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Sunday

April 3

Read

4th week of Lent

Saturday

April 2

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Friday

April 1

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Thursday

March 31

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Wednesday

March 30

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Tuesday

March 29

Read

Monday

March 28

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Sunday

March 27

Read

3rd week of Lent

Saturday

March 26

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Friday

March 25

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Annunciation

Thursday

March 24

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Wednesday

March 23

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Tuesday

March 22

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Monday

March 21

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Sunday

March 20

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2nd week of Lent

Saturday

March 19

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St. Joseph

Friday

March 18

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Thursday

March 17

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Wednesday

March 16

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Tuesday

March 15

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