Easter is a time of surprises. On Holy Thursday, we were surprised by the gesture of the Man-God, Jesus Christ, who got down on his knees and washed the feet of the apostles. Peter, the first of the apostles, is so startled by this that he says,"you will never wash my feet" – and then, when Jesus explains to him what the gesture means, Peter wants to take a full immersion into the cleansing waters. Jesus washes the feet of his followers.

See how in the reading from the Gospel of John, Peter is again the leader of the group – he is the one who suggests that they go fishing, he is the one who three times reaffirms his love for Christ towards the end of the Gospel reading. In the first reading, he is the one who, together with the others, answers the Jewish authorities that it is necessary to obey God rather than human beings – or men.

Today, in the Gospel, we hear of another surprising gesture by the Risen Lord – Jesus prepares breakfast for his disciples – he literally makes a charcoal fire, and fries some fish. Now, because the Gospel says that fish were already frying before the disciples came with their own, we can assume that Jesus had some fish with him. However, Sacred Scripture is silent on whether Jesus himself knew how to fish. A few days ago, in the evening, I saw a young man just behind the church, near the causeway to Mask Island – he was fishing – he said that he just does catch and release. There is something refreshing, something renewing about casting into the deep in a clear, calm lake. Notice also how Jesus says to Peter, "bring some of the fish that you have caught" – Christ not only provides food, but he asks for the fruit of the labour of the disciples, and then shares a meal with them. Christ is in need of our human effort – broadly speaking, we can say that God welcomes human input into the work of salvation.

There is another side to this story. Many times, when Christ breaks bread with the disciples after the Resurrection, we automatically think of the Eucharist - this was the case, for example, with the two disciples going to Emmaus, who recognized Him in the "breaking of the bread". This time, the fish and bread are in the context of a regular meal – Jesus sits down to have breakfast with Peter, and the group. Maybe this is something that we need to do more here at St. Hedwig's – after the Eucharistic banquet, after participating in the Sacrifice of the Mass, maybe we need to spend some time with each other, sharing a meal, a potluck, some coffee, some First Communion cake. Rubbing shoulders with people we normally don't see, or don't associate with.

There are many ways that Jesus fed his disciples – by his preaching, by his miracles, by his ministry; He also fed them, with his own Body and Blood at the Last Supper. Here again we return to Holy Thursday, and the institution of the Eucharist. Christ keeps on feeding us with His Body and Blood – this is especially noticeable for us this Sunday, when children from our parish will make their First Communion. They will be fed by the Lord Himself, who will give them food for eternal life – His most Holy Body and Blood.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican II (47) states: "At the Last Supper, on the night when He was betrayed, our Saviour instituted the eucharistic sacrifice of His Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again, and so to entrust to His beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of His death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is eaten, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us."

This weekend is also the celebration of Polish-Kashub heritage. We began this celebration at St. Hedwig's on May 3rd , the Solemnity of Our Lady Queen of Poland. We honour the forefathers of the first settlers, who kept the Catholic faith alive in the Madawaska Valley.

In closing, Easter is a time of surprises. Jesus washes the feet of his followers – Holy Thursday. He feeds them with his Body and Blood – Last Supper. But Christ also feeds his disciples with bread and fish, a first-century barbeque. Let us be attentive and present to the Risen One's presence among us.

(Fr. Pawel Ratajack, OMI, May 5, 2019)