Today is a Day made by the Lord By Beth DeCristofaro
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is
the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone. (Acts 4:6-11)
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the
dead. (John 21:12-14)
Piety
This
is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it. (Psalm 118:24)
Study
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” This was a day in which the disciples are weighed down with grief. This was a day in which a return to fishing, a consistent schedule that they knew well, was an escape from misery. It was an unfulfilling day as they caught no fish. And yet it was a day the Lord made much like the days in which we struggle with life difficulties. Later in this day, the Lord made Jesus “rehabilitates”[i] Peter by asking him to recommit his love for Jesus three times, offsetting his three denials of Jesus on the day of Crucifixion. (verses 15-23) And on this day the Lord made, Jesus sat and served his friends a breakfast cooked on a homey fire. This was an ordinary day made by the Lord, who is present on all days.
In the passages from Acts, on another day the Lord made, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and answered the leaders’ accusations with deep, resonant faith. Rather than “what a difference a day makes,” it is what a difference a Resurrection makes! God’s creative nourishing cannot be thwarted by death. Jesus’ willingness to extend mercy and love into death and beyond makes each day a day to experience it and live it.
Action
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. (John 21:7)
In this joyful Octave of Easter, in what way am I experiencing Jesus’ presence anew? I can give thanks and jump out of my boat to spend more time in his with him in the everyday moments the Lord has made. What prevents me from “seeing” the Lord on the beach of my life? In my prayer, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me and open my eyes and ears. I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me so I can share Jesus’ hospitality with those who need it most.
[i] “This section (of John’s Gospel) constitutes Peter’s rehabilitation and emphasizes his role in the church.” https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/21?23=#51021023
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