SR. GEMMA DINGLASAN
RGS
Ps 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11-12, 13
Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41
Rev 5:11-14
Jn 21:1-19 or 21:1-14
The Gospel reading describes Jesus’ encounter with Peter and the other disciples at the sea of Tiberias (Lake of Galilee) after the resurrection .While reading the Gospel I remember my days in Israel when I visited my Aunt who belongs to a missionary congregation in the Holy Land. The lake looks as ordinary as our Taal Lake and Wikipedia describes it as the lowest fresh water lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake in the world at levels between 215 meters and 209 meters below sea level. I was there in October 2016, had my retreat on the other side of the Lake at Capernaum and enjoyed my silence along the shore of Galilee. One of my reflections during that time was on this gospel passage:
“My only goal for every retreat and for every prayer period is to strengthen my relationship with God. Judas and Peter committed the same mistake of denying Jesus, and both of them repented (for Judas, it was described in the Gospel of Matthew) but Judas killed himself while Peter spent all his energy, his whole being trying to identify the Risen Christ in others and duplicating God’s presence thru works of mercy and compassion. Without that deep relationship with Jesus, Peter, like Judas could have ended up hanging himself on a tree. Peter knows Jesus so well. It is only in prayer that I can reach that proximal zone of intimacy with God.”
In the encounter, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loves him. We all know how Simon Peter responded. The degree of his response commensurate to the weight of his denials. In today’s lingo, this is an example of a Rights-based approach. Jesus opened Peter’s senses to acknowledge and affirm his rights to free expression, his rights to recognize his self-worth by expressing his love to Jesus and upholds Peter as a rights-bearer rather than a mere duty-bearer. After that encounter, Peter became a different person – a Rock!
Rights-based approach is the fundamental component of the Theory of Change where the focus is on the process and the outcome. Peter recognized his strength – its empowerment, and became the leader of the Church. May the dynamism of the Spirit lead this Church to be more compassionate, dialogic, open and circular in all of Her actions.
Having this in mind, I want to end my reflection with a prayer for our Bayang Magiliw:
Jesus, you chose the lowly Lake of Galilee to meet your successor who would continue your mission, please do the same for our country. Please choose the humblest yet most capable of running the country. The Filipinos deserve a better leader, one who relates with the poor, loves the poor and is poor. Amen. 
Balik-Tanaw is a group blog of Promotion of Church People’s Response. The Lectionary Gospel reflection is an invitation for meditation, contemplation, and action. As we nurture our faith by committing ourselves to journey with the people, we also wish to nourish the perspective coming from the point of view of hope and struggle of the people. It is our constant longing that even as crisis intensifies, the faithful will continue to strengthen their commitment to love God and our neighbor by being one with the people in their dreams and aspirations. The Title of the Lectionary Reflection would be Balik –Tanaw , isang PAGNINILAY . It is about looking back (balik) or revisiting the narratives and stories from the Biblical text and seeing, reading, and reflecting on these with the current context (tanaw).
