Homily for Easter Friday in the Octave, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"While Peter and John were talking to the people the priests came up to them, accompanied by the captain of the Temple and the Sadducees. They were extremely annoyed at their teaching the people the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus... many of those who had listened to their message became believers, the total number of whom had now risen to something like five thousand." (cf. Acts 4).

"The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone." (cf. Ps 118).

"Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberius... there [he] stood on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’; As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken." (cf. Jn 21).

Artwork: Miraculous Catch by Anton Losenko, (1762).