“Christ is risen – He is risen indeed!” These words have echoed through centuries of Christian worship. But they raise an interesting question: How do we know? What makes us so sure?

Thank you for taking the time to read this homily for THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER (May 4, 2025). Your support means a great deal to me, and I’m deeply grateful for the many who share these messages with their friends, families and social media followers. If you’ve found meaning in these words, I’d be grateful if you’d share them with others who might benefit.

And for those who prefer listening, you can find the audio version on SoundCloud HERE or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes HERE. Your comments, messages, and the way you’ve embraced these homilies continue to inspire me.  Sincerely in Christ -Father Jim

One of the things that I love about our faith – is that it’s grounded in real history. We’re not talking about some story someone made up or a fairy tale passed down through generations…. like so many on this May the 4^th in there Star Wars fandom would say “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” We’ve got times, places, people, and evidence we can actually verify. Take that recent NASA discovery that was announced on Good Friday this year. Using their astronomical models, they found a lunar eclipse that turned the moon blood-red over Jerusalem on Friday, April 3, 33 AD. Sound familiar? It matches perfectly with Matthew’s account of darkness covering the land during the Passion.

And then there’s the Shroud of Turin. Catholics have treasured it for centuries as the burial cloth of Jesus, bearing His image and wounds. Scientists have spent about 600,000 hours studying it across 102 different fields. With each further discovery the verification of dating it to 2,000 years ago, becomes stronger and stronger.  But here’s the wild part – they still can’t figure out how the image got there. There’s no pigment, no dye, nothing. It’s simply there on the shroud – leaving one researcher who’s spent 6 years working on this to speculate that it’s the result of 34,000 trillion watts of energy, released in a fraction of a billionth of a second, to create that impression. Some folks jokingly call it “the first century selfie.”

But let’s be real – while these scientific discoveries are fascinating, they’re just signposts along the way. Faith isn’t just about what we can prove in a lab. It has to touch something deeper: the human heart. That’s why the stories of those first disciples, especially Peter, still grab us today.

I’ve been blessed to know and love Jesus my whole life. But lately, I’ve found myself drawn more and more to those early followers. Their stories have brought me closer to Christ than any scientific study ever could.

Look at Peter in today’s Gospel. After everything that happened – the betrayal, the crucifixion, those first resurrection reports – what does he do? He goes fishing. It’s such a human response, isn’t it? When life gets overwhelming, we retreat to what’s familiar. But Jesus meets him right there, just like He did the first time.

The scene plays out like déjà vu. Another night of empty nets, another miraculous catch of fish. John spots Jesus first, but it’s Peter who can’t wait – he literally jumps into the sea to get to Jesus faster. That’s classic Peter – imperfect, impulsive, but so full of love for his Lord.

Then comes that powerful moment: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Three times Jesus asks, matching Peter’s three denials. But this isn’t about making Peter feel guilty – it’s about healing and restoration. Jesus takes Peter’s biggest failure and turns it into his greatest mission: “Feed my sheep.”

We see the results in our first reading from Acts. The same Peter who once couldn’t admit knowing Jesus to a servant girl now stands boldly before the Sanhedrin declaring, “We must obey God rather than men.” What changed? Not the facts – Peter always knew who Jesus was. What changed was his heart, transformed by meeting the risen Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

This is where our faith journey finds its true north. Yes, the scientific evidence is compelling. Yes, the historical proof is fascinating. But like Peter, we’re called to move beyond just believing facts to experiencing a personal encounter with the risen Christ. We’re called to let Him transform our failures into missions, our fears into courage, our doubts into conviction.

So where are we in Peter’s story? Are we hiding in our comfort zones, back in our familiar “fishing boats”? Are we standing at the shore, seeing Jesus but hesitating to jump in? Or are we ready, like Peter, to let our encounters with the risen Christ transform us into bold witnesses?

Because that’s what Easter faith really asks of us – not just believing in the resurrection as a historical fact, but letting the risen Christ resurrect something in us. To transform us, like Peter, from fearful followers into fearless proclaimers of the Good News.

Here’s the beautiful thing: Jesus still meets us where we are, just like He met Peter on that shore. Whether we’re scientists studying the Shroud, historians examining ancient texts, or ordinary believers wrestling with doubts, Jesus appears to each of us in uniquely meaningful ways. And He asks us the same question He asked Peter: “Do you love me?” When we answer yes, He doesn’t demand perfect understanding or unwavering certainty. He simply gives us our mission: “Feed my sheep.” Feed them with your witness, your courage to stand for truth like Peter before the Sanhedrin, your willingness to share how the risen Christ has transformed your life.

Because ultimately, that’s what makes “Christ is risen” more than just words – it makes it a living reality that continues to change hearts and lives, including our own, two thousand years later.