Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Friday, April 25th, and we’ll be reading John 21, 1-14.
Follow along in your Bible if you have one.
Now let’s read John 21, 1-14.
After this, Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Cana and Galileo, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing.
They said to him, We will go with you.
They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, Children, have you any fish?
They answered him, No.
He said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, you will find some.
So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in for the quantity of fish.
The disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord.
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work and sprang into the sea.
But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from land, but about a hundred yards off.
When they got on land, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish lying on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.
So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them.
And although there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, Come and have breakfast.
Now none of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you?
They knew that it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.
This was how the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
I have a lot of good things that I have been blessed with.
A lovely home with my own room, a great family that I love very much, and a really cool parish, fun neighborhood friends, a super cool dog, and lots of other things.
Maybe too many to count.
God has blessed us in so many ways, but sometimes it’s easy to get wrapped up in all these good things that we forget about being a giver of all these amazing and good things.
In today’s reading, as soon as John said, It is the Lord, Peter jumped right out of the boat and swam to Jesus.
Peter knew what was most important.
It was Jesus.
Hey-o! Today’s saint is Saint Mark the Apostle.
Now, let’s read a story.
According to tradition, the Last Supper took place in the evangelist of Mark’s family home.
It is thought that when Judas returned with the soldiers, the young Mark may have run to Gethsemane to warn Jesus in the Gospel of Mark.
A young man runs away, naked in the confusion, surrounding Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane.
Many believe he was the evangelist Mark.
Mark is always assumed to be the John Mark, who appears in the Acts of the Apostles as the cousin of the barbarians.
He was invited to accompany Barnabas and Paul on a missionary journey through Asia Minor.
Despite his good interest, Mark was unprepared for the righteous trip, and he returned home.
Paul refused to take him along the next trip, taking Silas instead.
Mark did accompany Barnabas to Cyprus and later became a valuable friend to Paul during his years of imprisonment.
Mark also became a disciple of Peter, whose reconciliations of Jesus are contained in Mark’s Gospel.
According to tradition, Mark founded the church in Alexandria, Egypt, and was martyred around the year 68.
Saint Mark is represented by the symbol of a lion because it proclaims Jesus as the Lion of Judah.
When we learn more about Jesus or desire to follow him, it becomes more important.
Here is something to think about today.
What are some ways that God has blessed you?
And do you think God wants us to enjoy the blessings he’s given us?
Like Saint Mark, we need to strive to have courage and to stand up for all the blessings we have in our lives and to share with others.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, thank you for all that you have given us.
Help us to remember to keep our eyes on you.
You are the giver of all good things.
We want to do great things for you.
Saint Mark the Apostle, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back next week scattering more flowers.
See ya!