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by Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle
Fides Agency publishes the homily delivered by Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle today, Friday, April 25, during Holy Mass—which he presided over—celebrated with the working community of the Dicastery for Evangelization in suffrage for the soul of Pope Francis, in the Chapel of the Magi Kings, in the Palace of Propaganda Fide:
Rome (Fides Agency) - On this Friday within the Octave of Easter, we thank the Risen Lord who forms us as His body of disciples and witnesses. As we continue contemplating with amazement the renewing presence and action of the Risen Lord, attested to in our scripture readings, we also offer our fervent prayers for Pope Francis. May he enjoy the eternal embrace of the merciful Father.
The Gospel recounts the fishing activity of Simon Peter and six other disciples after the Resurrection. That night they caught nothing. The boat returned empty which meant no food on the table and loss of fervor. The Risen Lord, though unrecognized by them, recognized their emptiness. He directed them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. They caught an abundant amount of fish. He turned their emptiness into fullness. Who is he? Who is this stranger? The Beloved disciple said to Peter, “it is the Lord!” With the eyes of love, he discerned, detected and proclaimed the presence of the Risen Lord.
When our work, life and projects seem empty, do not lose heart. Look around. Open your ears. The Risen Lord is near and might be pointing to a new direction even if it sounds absurd. Do not insist on your idea or plan when it already proves empty. Stubborn pride leads to emptiness. Let the Risen Lord direct us. He catches the fish, we just haul the net to the shore. As we marvel at the catch that we did not produce, we declare, “It is the Lord.”
This is the same proclamation made by Peter and the Beloved disciple, to the people, the heads, the elders and the scribes who questioned their power in the healing of lame man. They said, “in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene…this man was healed.” It is the Lord!
We are used to the tandem St Peter and St Paul. But our two readings highlight the partnership between St. Peter and the Beloved disciple. In the Gospel of John, the Beloved Disciple is not named although Tradition has associated him with St. John. The Beloved Disciple opens Peter’s eyes to recognize the Lord and His deeds in Peter’s activities. I want to believe that the Beloved Disciple helps Peter remain humble, always attributing to the Lord, and not to his own effort, every fruitful catch and good deed.
Each one of us needs both Peter and the Beloved Disciple in his heart. A Peter who acts and a Beloved Disciple who points to Jesus, the source of our fruitfulness.
In this mass we pray to the merciful Father to welcome into His Kingdom our beloved Pope Francis. These past twelve years, he has been the Successor of Peter. But I have known him also as the Beloved Disciple.
We were together in the Synod of Bishops on The Eucharist in 2005 as delegates of our respective episcopal conferences. At the end of the synod we were both elected to the Ordinary council of the Synod of Bishops for a term of three years. In 2008 we were speakers in the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec, Canada. He represented Latin America while I represented Asia. I often expressed to him my limited knowledge of the topics assigned to me and my lack of preparation for speeches. But he never failed to encourage me, to help me see the hand of the Lord. From Buenos Aires he wrote to me letters of congratulations when he heard of something good that I had done. But I did not respond to any of them. He believed in me more than I trusted in myself.
During meetings he always joked with me. We took jokes seriously. For the conclave of 2013, our flights arrived in Fiumicino airport a few minutes apart. Seeing me he said, “what is this little boy doing here?” To which I responded, “and what is this old man doing here?” A few days later I had to call him “Your Holiness.”
When I was called to work in the Roman Curia, I thought it was just a joke. It ended up being a serious joke. To make up for all the letters I did not answer, this time I said “Yes”. I suppose that in his eyes I am always a little boy. In my private audiences with him, his first question was always, “How are your parents?” Before dealing with documents and “business”, he reminded me of my parents and of myself as a child.
There is much to remember and to celebrate in the successor of Peter who is a beloved disciple but let me close with an experience during his pastoral visit to the Philippines in 2015. He was surprised to see the millions of people who welcomed him on his arrival in Manila. Before descending the Popemobile in the apostolic nunciature he asked me, “how much did you pay those people?” I quickly answered, “I promised them eternal life if they greeted the Successor of Peter.” Turning serious, he said, “they did not come out to see me. They came to see Jesus.”
The Beloved Disciple has another name, Peter.
(Fides Agency 25/4/2025)
ASIA/MYANMAR - The nation remembers Pope Francis with gratitude, “a man of peace and reconciliation”
ASIA/CHINA - Announcement on the website of the “Catholic Church in China” and the Patriotic Association: “Pope Francis has returned to the Father's house”