About Today
Friday 25 April 2025
Easter Friday
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: C(I). Liturgical Colour: White.
In other years: St Mark the Evangelist
He was a cousin of Barnabas and accompanied the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey; later he followed him to Rome. He was a disciple of Peter, and his gospel is told from Peter’s point of view. He is credited with founding the Church in Alexandria. His body was stolen from Alexandria in 828 (though some say that the wrong bones were stolen) and taken to Venice, which adopted him as its patron saint. See the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
Gospel John 21:1-14 The caught one hundred and fifty-three fish
At that time: Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred metres off.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Reflection on the painting
ohn Reilly, the artist behind today’s canvas, often structured his compositions around a central circle, in this case, the sun, from which shards of colour radiate outward like ripples on water… reminiscent of the ripples on the Sea of Tiberias mentioned in today’s Gospel. The overall effect is a kaleidoscope of vibrant facets, coming together to form the unified pattern of the painting. The circular forms create a visual link between Christ, depicted on the right, and the apostles on the left, connecting them through the central sun and the image of the fish.
The fish stand out strikingly in the composition, not only for their visual impact but because they are integrated into the very bodies of Christ and the apostles. They are not merely decorative; they are deeply symbolic. Fish are, of course, central to Scripture. In biblical imagery, fish in the sea often represent people who have yet to be ‘brought ashore', to receive the breath of life and encounter Christ, who is waiting on the shoreline. We are told that the apostles caught 153 fish. This number is rich in symbolism. Mathematically, 153 is the sum of all the whole numbers from 1 to 17 (1+2+3+…+17 = 153). Seventeen itself has symbolic resonance, seen as a prime number representing the Messiah. Some scholars believe that, at the time John’s Gospel was written, there were thought to be 153 nations in the known world.
In other words, the miraculous catch is a sign that Christ came for everyone, to draw all peoples and nations to himself. But this universal mission unfolds one person at a time… one fish at a time. Just as Jesus stood on the shore in today’s passage, inviting his disciples to cast their nets, so we too are called to stand at the water’s edge of people’s lives. inviting, encouraging, and gently leading them to God.
Miraculous Draught of Fishes,
Painting by John Reilly (1928-2010),
Painted in 1978,
Oil on canvas
© John Reilly artist
Easter Friday
The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Year: C(I). Liturgical Colour: White.
In other years: St Mark the Evangelist
He was a cousin of Barnabas and accompanied the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey; later he followed him to Rome. He was a disciple of Peter, and his gospel is told from Peter’s point of view. He is credited with founding the Church in Alexandria. His body was stolen from Alexandria in 828 (though some say that the wrong bones were stolen) and taken to Venice, which adopted him as its patron saint. See the article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia.
Gospel John 21:1-14 The caught one hundred and fifty-three fish
At that time: Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, do you have any fish?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred metres off.
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Reflection on the painting
ohn Reilly, the artist behind today’s canvas, often structured his compositions around a central circle, in this case, the sun, from which shards of colour radiate outward like ripples on water… reminiscent of the ripples on the Sea of Tiberias mentioned in today’s Gospel. The overall effect is a kaleidoscope of vibrant facets, coming together to form the unified pattern of the painting. The circular forms create a visual link between Christ, depicted on the right, and the apostles on the left, connecting them through the central sun and the image of the fish.
The fish stand out strikingly in the composition, not only for their visual impact but because they are integrated into the very bodies of Christ and the apostles. They are not merely decorative; they are deeply symbolic. Fish are, of course, central to Scripture. In biblical imagery, fish in the sea often represent people who have yet to be ‘brought ashore', to receive the breath of life and encounter Christ, who is waiting on the shoreline. We are told that the apostles caught 153 fish. This number is rich in symbolism. Mathematically, 153 is the sum of all the whole numbers from 1 to 17 (1+2+3+…+17 = 153). Seventeen itself has symbolic resonance, seen as a prime number representing the Messiah. Some scholars believe that, at the time John’s Gospel was written, there were thought to be 153 nations in the known world.
In other words, the miraculous catch is a sign that Christ came for everyone, to draw all peoples and nations to himself. But this universal mission unfolds one person at a time… one fish at a time. Just as Jesus stood on the shore in today’s passage, inviting his disciples to cast their nets, so we too are called to stand at the water’s edge of people’s lives. inviting, encouraging, and gently leading them to God.
Miraculous Draught of Fishes,
Painting by John Reilly (1928-2010),
Painted in 1978,
Oil on canvas
© John Reilly artist
