April 10, 2026
Friday of the Easter Octave
Gospel: John 21:1–14

Today is Friday of the Easter Octave. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John narrates Jesus’ final appearance to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias and their shared meal—a story that invites profound reflection on the heart of Christian faith.

Saint John wrote: “Jesus appeared again to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias” (John 21:1). What is this sea? Originally known as Lake Tiberias, it is also called the Sea of Galilee—a place deeply woven into the disciples’ memory. The Evangelist Luke mentions it as the site where Jesus met Simon Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James and John), teaching crowds from Peter’s boat before instructing him to “put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch” (cf. Luke 5:1–11). It is also the location where Matthew’s Gospel begins Jesus’ public ministry, calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him (cf. Matthew 4:18–22). Clearly, the disciples knew this place well—it was where they first encountered the Lord.

Saint John tells us that “on that night, they caught nothing”(John 21:3–4). This echoes an earlier moment: when Jesus first called Peter, the fisherman had laboured all night “and have taken nothing” (Luke 5:5). But Jesus’ response was the same then as now: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some”(John 21:6; cf. Luke 5:4). Obeying the Savior’s command, the disciples hauled in a miraculous catch—proof of His divine authority.

Today, the Church uses this Gospel to invite us to return to the origin of our faith: to revisit the place of our first encounter with the Risen Lord, imitate the disciples’ trust, and “always fulfil God’s holy will” to bear the lasting fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Almighty ever-living God, who gave us the Paschal Mystery in the covenant you established for reconciling the human race, so dispose our minds, we pray, that what we celebrate by professing the faith we may express in deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica