2569. The Evangelist has just told of two appearances of Christ to his disciples. Now he mentions a third appearance. If we consider the order and purpose of these appearances, it is evident that the first showed Christ’s divine authority by his breathing the Holy Spirit upon them; the second showed that he was the same person as before, since he let them view his wounds; and the third showed the reality of his risen human nature, for he ate with them. 2569. Positis duabus apparitionibus Christi ad discipulos hic ponit Evangelista tertiam apparitionem. Et si ordinem et finem harum apparitionum consideremus, patet quod in prima ostendit suae divinitatis auctoritatem, Spiritum Sanctum ibi insufflando; in secunda personae identitatem, cicatrices ostendendo; in tertia naturae resurgentis veritatem, cum eis comedendo. There are two parts in this. Dividitur autem haec pars in duas. The Evangelist first mentions Christ’s dealing with a group of the disciples; In prima ostendit quid communiter discipulis pluribus Dominus exhibuit; second, with two of them he especially loved: when therefore they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, do you love me more than these? (John 21:15). in secunda quid specialiter duobus praedilectis ibi cum ergo prandissent etc. As to the first, the Evangelist mentions the time Circa primum primo ponitur apparitionis titulus; and circumstance of his appearance, and he showed himself in this manner. secundo apparitionis modus, ibi manifestavit autem sic; and then adds a short epilogue, this was now the third time that Jesus was manifested (John 21:14). tertio apparitionis epilogus, ibi hoc iam tertio manifestatus est Iesus. In the title, however, three are designated, namely, time, way, and place. In titulo autem tria designantur; scilicet tempus, modus, et locus. 2570. The time is after this, that is, after what the Evangelist just narrated. It is significant that he says this for it shows that Christ was not with them continuously, but appeared to them at intervals. The reason for this was that he had not risen with the same life as before, but with a glorious life, as the angels have and the blessed will have: except the gods, that is, the angels, whose dwelling is not with flesh (Dan 2:11). 2570. Tempus quidam, quia postea, idest post praedicta. Quod signanter dicit, quia, ut dictum est, non continue erat cum eis, sed per vices eis apparebat. Cuius ratio est, quia non surrexerat ad eamdem vitam, sed ad gloriosam, in qua sunt angeli, et erunt beati. Dan. II, 11: excipitis diis, idest angelis, quorum conversatio non est cum hominibus. 2571. Since the Evangelist seemed to be ending his Gospel before, when he wrote, these are written so that you may believe (John 20:31), why, then, does he add on this appearance? 2571. Sed cum supra fecerit quamdam conclusionem, dicens haec autem scripta sunt, quare addit hic hanc narrationem? Augustine gives a mystical reason for this, which is that this appearance signifies the glory of the future life, when Christ will appear to us as he is (1 John 3:2). And so the Evangelist put this appearance after what seemed to be the end of his Gospel so that this could be better understood. Ad haec Augustinus assignat rationem mysticam. Per hanc enim apparitionem significatur gloria futurae vitae, quando nobis apparebit sicut est. Et ideo post finem hanc posuit, ut faceret evidentiorem locum quo illam daret intelligi. 2572. The circumstance of his appearance was that Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. It is in the nature and power of a glorified body that it can be seen or not seen, as the person wishes, by non-glorified bodies. That is why he says, showed i.e., Christ made himself visible. In the same way he is said to appear, which means the same thing as to reveal, appearing to them during forty days (Acts 1:3). As Ambrose says, a thing is said to appear if it has the power to be seen or not seen. 2572. Modum vero ponit, quia manifestavit se iterum Iesus ad Mare Tiberiadis. In natura enim corporis gloriosi est et virtute, ut possit videri et non videri, sicut vult, a corpore non glorioso: et ideo dicit manifestavit, idest, se visibilem praebuit. Id hoc etiam modo dicitur apparere, quod idem est quod manifestari. Act. I, 3: per dies quadraginta apparens eis. Nam, ut Ambrosius dicit, id apparet in cuius potestate est videri et non videri. 2573. The place is at the Sea of Tiberias, which is the Sea of Galilee. It is called the Sea of Tiberias after the city of Tiberias, which was built in honor of Tiberius Caesar. The Evangelist mentions this, first, to show that our Lord had kept the promise made to the disciples, he is going before you to Galilee (Matt 28:7). Second, he wanted to show that our Lord had banished the very great fear from the hearts of his disciples, so that they no longer remained shut up in their house, but even traveled as far as Galilee. 2573. Locus autem est ad Mare Tiberiadis, quod est Mare Galilaeae; sed Tiberiadis dicitur a Tiberiade civitate aedificata in honorem Tiberii Caesaris. Ponit autem hoc Evangelista primo quidem ut ostendat completam esse promissionem factam discipulis. Matth. XXVIII, 7: praecedet vos in Galilaeam. Secundo ut ostendat quoniam Dominus plurimum timorem de cordibus discipulorum abstulerat, ut de reliquo iam non in domo manerent inclusi: sed longe procedunt usque in Galilaeam. 2574. In describing this appearance, and he showed himself in this manner; 2574. Consequenter cum dicit manifestavit autem ponitur ipsa apparitio, et he first mentions the persons to whom Christ appeared; primo ponuntur personae quibus facta est; what they were doing; Simon Peter said to them: I am going fishing. secundo ipsarum personarum officium, ibi dixit ei Simon Petrus etc.; And third, the circumstances of this appearance: but when the morning arrived, Jesus stood on the shore. tertio apparitionis modus, ibi mane autem facto stetit Iesus in littore. 2575. Christ appeared to seven persons. The Evangelist says that there were together Simon Peter, who had denied him, Thomas called Didymus, who was not present at the first appearance, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, who is thought to be the brother of Philip, the sons of Zebedee, that is, James and John, and two others of his disciples not explicitly named. 2575. Personae autem quibus se manifestavit, sunt septem; unde dicit erant autem simul Simon Petrus, qui negaverat, et Thomas qui dicitur Didymus, qui in prima apparitione non fuerat, et Nathanael, qui erat a Cana Galilaeae, qui, ut creditur, frater Philippi erat, de quo supra I, et filii Zebedaei, scilicet Iacobus et Ioannes, et alii ex discipulis eius duo, qui non expresse nominantur. In the mystical sense, this number signifies the state and appearance of future glory, which will be after the seventh age, that is, in the eighth, which is the age of those who arise: from new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will come to worship before me (Isa 66:23). Per hunc autem numerum mystice significatur futurae gloriae apparitio, quae erit post septimam aetatem, scilicet in octava, quae est resurgentium. Is. ult., 23: erit mensis ex mense et Sabbatum ex Sabbato; et veniet omnis caro ut adoret coram facie mea. 2576. The work which occupied them was fishing; thus it says: Simon Peter said to them: I am going fishing, and 2576. Officium autem quo occupati erant est piscationis; unde dicit dixit eis Simon Petrus, vado piscari et first there is Peter’s invitation to do this work; primo ponitur Petri invitatio ad hoc officium; second, their assent; secundo aliorum assensus; third the execution of this duty. tertio officii executio. 2577. Peter asks them to go fishing, saying, I am going fishing. In the mystical interpretation, this signifies the work of preaching: I will make you fishers of men (Matt 4:19). So when Peter said, I am going fishing, the mystical sense is that he is taking the others to share in his concerns and preaching: so it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you (Exod 18:22). 2577. Invitat quidem ad officium, dicens vado piscari: per quod quidem mystice significatur praedicationis officium. Matth. IV, 19: faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum. Sic ergo dixit Petrus vado piscari, per quod mystice significatur quod alios assumit in partem suae sollicitudinis et praedicationis. Ex. XVIII, 22: levius tibi sit partito in alios onere. 2578. Their actual fishing seems to go against Luke: no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). And it is clear that Peter had given up his work as fisherman. Why then did he return to it and look back? 2578. Sed contra Lc. IX, 62: nemo mittens manum suam ad aratrum et respiciens retro, aptus est regno Dei. Constat autem quod Petrus dimiserat piscationem: quomodo ergo rediit et respexit retro? I answer, with Augustine, that if he had returned to this work of fishing before Christ’s resurrection and before seeing Christ’s wounds, we would think that he was acting out of despair. But now, even after Christ returned from the grave, after they had seen his wounds, and had received the Holy Spirit by Christ’s breathing on them, they became what they were before, fishers of fish. We can learn from this that a preacher can use his abilities to earn the necessaries of life and still preserve the integrity of his apostolate, if he has no other means of sustenance. For if St. Paul learned an art he did not previously have in order to obtain the food he needed, so as to avoid being a burden to others, Peter could all the more do this by using his own skill. Responsio, secundum Augustinum. Si rediisset ad officium piscationis ante resurrectionem Christi et vulnerum inspectionem, putaremus eum ex disperatione hoc fecisse. Nunc vero post eum sibi de sepulcro redditum vivum, post inspecta vulnerum loca et acceptum eius insufflatione Spiritum Sanctum, facti sunt sicut fuerant piscium piscatores. Per quod datur intelligi quod praedicator potest ex arte sua licita victum necessarium quaerere, sui apostolatus integritate servata, si aliunde non habeat. Si enim beatus Paulus, ut alios non gravaret, artem quam non noverat, didicit, ut sibi necessarium acquireret victum: quanto magis Petrus de arte sua licita potuit hoc facere? 2579. Augustine says that a preacher can do this when he cannot gain a living in any other way. But in this case Peter did have another way, for our Lord promised: but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be yours as well, that is, what is necessary for life (Matt 6:33). 2579. Sed dicit, quod hoc est faciendum quando non habet aliunde. Sed constat quod se semper habet et habuit, quia Dominus promisit dicens Matth. VI, 23: quaerite primum regnum Dei, et haec omnia adiicientur vobis, scilicet necessaria. The answer is that it is true that these things will be added, with our cooperation. So our Lord did keep his promise here, with the cooperation of Peter. For who else but our Lord caused the fish that were caught to be within the range of their net? Ad quod dicendum est, quod verum est quod adiiciuntur, sed nobis cooperantibus: et ideo Dominus Petro cooperante hoc implevit. Nam quis alius pisces qui caperentur apposuit nisi ipse Dominus? 2580. Gregory remarks that there are two kinds of work. One absorbs the mind, and hinders our spiritual concerns, as tax collecting. No one should return to such work, even to provide food. So we do not read that Matthew returned to his tax collecting post. There is another kind of work which can be done without sin and without absorbing the mind, such as fishing and similar things. And it was not a sin for Peter to return to this kind of work after his conversion. 2580. Sed notandum, secundum Gregorium, quod duplex est officium. Unum quod occupat mentem et impedit spiritualia; et ad tale officium non est redeundum, nec eo procurandum victum; sicut est vectigal et huiusmodi. Unde Matthaeum non legimus rediisse ad telonium. Est autem et aliud quod sine peccato et mentis occupatione exerceri potest, sicut est officium piscationis huiusmodi; et ideo hoc negotium post conversionem repetere, culpa non fuit. 2581. The others agree to this, we too will come with you. This sets an example for preachers and prelates to encourage each other in their work of turning people to God: a brother helped is like a strong city (Prov 18:19); he was like a young cedar on Lebanon; and they surrounded him like the trunks of palm trees (Sir 50:12). 2581. Assensus autem aliorum ponitur cum dicit venimus et nos tecum: in quo datur exemplum praedicatoribus et praelatis cohortandi se mutuo ad conversionem Prov. c. XVIII, 19: frater qui iuvatur a fratre, quasi civitas firma; Eccli. l, 13: circa illum corona fratrum quasi plantatio cedri in monte Libano. 2582. Next, we see that they were working at this, they went out and got into the ship, and that night they caught nothing. Here he touches on three things that preachers ought to do. First, they should leave those places which are sunk in sin: come out from them, the Chaldaeans, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; and I will welcome you (2 Cor 6:17). And they should go out from their carnal affections: go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house (Gen 12:1). And also leave the quiet of contemplation: let us go forth into the fields, and lodge in the villages; let us go out early to the vineyards (Song 7:11). 2582. Executio vero officii ponitur cum dicit exierunt et ascenderunt in navim, et illa nocte nihil prendiderunt. Et tangit tria quae debent facere praedicatores. Primo quidem exire a peccatorum conversatione: II Cor. VI, 17: exite de medio eorum, scilicet Chaldaeorum, et separamini, dicit Dominus, et immundum ne tetigeritis, et ego recipiam vos. A carnalium affectione; Gen. XII, v. 1: egredere de terra tua et de cognatione tua et de domo patris tui. Et a quietis contemplatione; Cant. VII, 11: egrediamur in agrum, commoremur in vineis: mane surgamus ad vineas etc. Second, preachers should get into the ship, that is, go forward in charity within the unity of the Church, which is called a ship: in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water (1 Pet 3:20). They should also board the ship of the cross by depriving the flesh: but far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal 6:14); blessed is the wood by which righteousness comes (Wis 14:7). Secundo debent ascendere in navem, idest proficere in caritate unitatis Ecclesiae, quae dicitur navis. I Petr. III, 20: in diebus Noe cum fabricaretur arca, in qua pauci, idest octo animae salvae factae sunt per aquam. Item in navi crucis, assumendo carnis mortificationem. Gal. ult., 14: mihi absit gloriari nisi in cruce Domini nostri Iesu Christi, per quem mihi mundus crucifixus est, et ego mundo; Sap. XIV, 7: benedictum lignum per quod fit iustitia. Third, preachers should have total confidence in the help of Christ. All that night they caught nothing, because as long as God’s help and the interior preacher are not there, the words of the preacher have no effect. But when the light comes, enlightening hearts, the preacher makes a catch: send out your light and your truth (Ps 42:3). Here, night indicates the lack of divine help: night comes, when no man is able to work (John 9:4). Or, one could say, that night, during the time of the Old Testament, they caught nothing, because they could not bring the gentiles to the faith: the night has passed (Rom 13:12). According to Augustine, they were fishing at night because they were still afraid. Tertio totalis de adiutorio Christi fiducia; unde tota nocte illa nihil prendiderunt, quia quamdiu deest auxilium divinum et interior praedicator, frustra laborat lingua praedicatoris; sed tunc capiunt quando venit lux corda illuminans. Ps. XLII, 3: emitte lucem tuam et veritatem tuam. Unde hoc modo nox dicitur carentia divini auxilii. Io. IX, 4: venit nox quando nemo potest operari. Vel in nocte idest in Veteri Testamento, nihil prendiderunt, quia non potuerunt gentes ad fidem adducere. Rom. XIII, 12: nox praecessit. Secundum autem Augustinum, de nocte piscabantur, quia adhuc timidi erant. 2583. Now we see the way and stages in which Jesus appeared: but when the morning arrived, Jesus stood on the shore; 2583. Modus autem apparitionis et ordo ponitur cum dicit mane autem iam facto, stetit Iesus in littore, et first, he allows himself to be seen; primo exhibet corporalem inspectionem; second he is recognized: children, have you any meat? secundo sui cognitionem, ibi pueri, numquid pulmentarium habetis?