Clergy Notes — Third Sunday of Easter, May 1 2022

I love Eastertide, partly because after all the long days of Lent and the impact of Holy Week, it is rejuvenating to sink into several weeks dedicated to all the ways the resurrected Jesus appears to those he loves. He still knows them, and still feeds them, still teaches them, but their ability to recognize him changes depending on the circumstances within their own hearts, and their response to him when they do changes everything.

In the Gospel for this week, Jesus appears on the shore whilst the disciples are fishing, and it is in their abundant catch that they recognize the Lord. I love how he comes to them in their daily work, and that Jesus, who has conquered death and harrowed Hell, is still not above making them breakfast!

This is something I know I often forget; it is so easy to find God in the beautiful, the tranquil, the sacred. It is harder to notice God’s presence in the mundane, the routine, the troublesome. We know that God is present, always, but do we live like we expect to see Jesus appear at breakfast? on our commute? at work?

What might change for us if we were to look for Jesus in these things too? The presence of God changes everything; let us pray this week that the Lord will open our eyes and our hearts to notice the presence of Jesus in every corner of our lives.

Mother Amanda