Lord My Chef Sunday Recipe by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Third Sunday in Easter, Cycle C, 04 May 2025
Acts 5:27-32, 40-41 ><}}}}*> Revelation 5:11-14 ><}}}}*> John 21:1-14

Breakfast came from two words, break + fast when monks in the early days of Christianity used to “break” their “fast” the night before and that is why it is rightly considered as the most important meal of each day.

But the author of the fourth gospel found something deeper in the word “breakfast” that he mentioned it twice in our gospel today. It is another detail only him had noticed like in last Sunday’s “locked doors”. Everyday, Jesus invites us to “breakfast” with him to experience the joy of Easter.

Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs” (John 21:12-15).

Many times we take breakfast for granted and most often, like me later in life do we realize its importance with the onset of many sickness and diseases. Remember that saying, “eat like king at breakfast, like an ordinary man at lunch and like a pauper or beggar at supper”? That’s very true because breakfast is supposed to give us the boost needed to make headway through the brand new day.

What a beautiful gesture by Jesus when he appeared the third time to his disciples early morning just in time for breakfast. Every day Jesus invites us to breakfast with him, to be filled with him spiritually through prayers and meditations, most especially the Holy Eucharist. That is why it is always best to pray and celebrate Mass first thing in the morning when Jesus fills our soul with his Spirit and then our body with his gifts of food at breakfast. Christ invites us to breakfast everyday before he “breaks” to us some important matters on our selves and relationships with him and with others.

It is the same idea behind “breakfast meetings” or even “luncheon meetings” where the hosts feed us with good food and drinks before baring to us their plans that need our participation. Remember that after the second appearance of Jesus to his disciples, nothing was clear yet to them except that he had risen. The disciples must still be feeling guilty with their actions and attitudes after the arrest and death of Jesus. They must be “nagkakahiyaan” – there was a strong presence of shame within each one on how they have abandoned Jesus after his arrest except the beloved disciple who stood at the Cross until the burial.

How lovely is the Lord’s gesture in appearing this time early in the morning to invite them to a breakfast including us today! Like every host, Jesus wants us to be relaxed and at home, comfortable and at ease with him, assuring us of his love and friendship despite our sins and shortcomings in the past. This is particularly evident with Peter and maybe Thomas who doubted the Lord’s resurrection last week and now back with the others fishing.

Jesus is very much aware of breakfast as a great mood-setter. On that day at the shore of Tiberias until today, Jesus starts each day with us with all his warmth and love, telling us it is a new day with new opportunities because tomorrow is gone so let us start anew. Sadly, many of us forget Jesus present with us every morning when we wake up. Like the disciples, we rarely recognize him as we first look for our cellphone upon waking up, counting the likes and reactions to our previous posts. Others refuse to rise and face the day while others feel grouchy raising hell every morning.

Open your eyes like the beloved disciple. When we see and think of Jesus first thing in the morning, then we see the abundant blessings around us like that great catch of fish by the disciples despite the empty night or day before. Every time we wake up despite the presence of our many problems still unsolved or unresolved, it is already a game won over that we are still alive! Rejoice in the gift of life. That is Easter happening daily. Give in to Jesus Christ’s invitation to breakfast by first communing in him in prayer and praise.

Now we go deeper into the meaning of “breakfast” which is from the prefix break + fast, the breaking of the fast the night before. What are the other fastings we need to break everyday like the disciples?

There is a beautiful commercial of local medicines that says “huwag mahihiyang magtanong” (don’t be shy to ask). Today Jesus is telling us not to be ashamed to get near him, to speak to him, to be with him. It is a new day. Break all your “fasting” of getting close to him because you are too shy of your sins and failures. It is a new day. Recall those countless times in the past when you have disappointed Jesus and your loved ones a lot but he gave you a chance to rise again. Notice how the beloved disciple recognized Jesus when he recalled too their first meeting with the same situation, a fruitless night before followed by bountiful catch after Jesus instructed them to cast their nets into the deep!

How many times had Jesus given us with all the chances in life to be better, to start anew despite our sins and failures? Many times we cannot recognize Jesus despite his nearness with us like the disciples that morning at Tiberias because we box him as somebody like us who keeps tabs of our wrongdoings, that he might not like us anymore. Unlike us, Jesus is full of mercy with a very poor memory of our past sins and wrongdoings.

Notice that after breakfast, Jesus called Peter by his original name “Simon, son of John”. This is remarkable because not only with Peter, Jesus sees each one of us in our true self as a beloved child of God, so loved, so precious. Like Peter, he invites us everyday to breakaway from our sins and biases against him for he truly loves us, always ready to forgive us and most of all, never changes his mind and heart in his plans for us.

It is only after we have expressed our love to him like Peter that Jesus invites us to more than a breakfast which is to come follow him!

Before we can follow Jesus, we must first love him by breaking away from sins and vices and everything evil. And that starts with having Jesus every morning for breakfast. That is what Luke is telling us in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, of how the disciples chose to follow Jesus than obey the Sanhedrin who wanted them to stop preaching about Jesus. Saying yes to Jesus Christ’s invitation to breakfast and to break away from sins and evil is the solid “Amen” of the elders saw by John in his vision of heaven in the second reading. Like them, let us pray:

Dearest Jesus,
thank you for the invitation
every morning,
first thing of each day
to be with you not only
to breakfast but to break
my series of sins and vices;
let me love you more
so I may follow you closely
everyday.
Amen.