Daily Catholic Lectio
Sat, 18 April 2026
Second Week of Easter
Acts 6:1–7, John 6:16–21
Jesus did not arrive yet
The Gospel today leaves us with a striking and almost unsettling phrase: Jesus did not arrive yet. The disciples are in the boat, already some distance from the shore. The sea is rough, the wind is strong, and darkness surrounds them. They are moving forward—but without Jesus.
This is not just a moment in their journey. It is a mirror of our own.
John, writing after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, seems to carry a deeper meaning in this scene. The boat becomes a symbol of the Church. The disciples represent those entrusted with leadership. And the absence of Jesus is not merely physical—it becomes theological, even existential. There are moments when the Church moves forward, organizes, works, and struggles… and yet, somehow, Jesus has not yet “arrived” within it.
Pope Francis, reflecting on the nature of the Church during the synod for synodal church, reminds us that the Church is always a communion of three: Jesus, the apostles, and the people. When one of these is missing—especially when Jesus is sidelined—the balance is lost. And sometimes, quietly and almost unconsciously, we push Jesus to the margins. We continue rowing the boat, but without truly welcoming Him into it.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples are not doing something wrong. They are rowing, persevering, doing what they can. But their effort is incomplete. It lacks the presence of the One who gives direction, meaning, and peace. Only when they are ready to receive Him into the boat does something extraordinary happen: immediately, they reach the shore.
The first reading shows us another dimension of this same truth. The early Church, often idealized as perfectly united, faces a real and concrete problem. The Greek-speaking widows are being neglected in the daily distribution. Cultural and linguistic divisions begin to surface. Even in the earliest community, human limitations—bias, oversight, inequality—emerge.
But here is the difference: the apostles do not ignore the problem. They intervene immediately. They discern, they reorganize, and they respond with wisdom. The ministry of service—the diaconate—is born in this moment.
Yet, in the midst of this reorganization, they make a crucial decision. They clarify their priority: “We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word.” They do not deny the importance of service. But they refuse to lose their centre.
This is where the real danger lies for us today.
Often, we become a Church of activity without depth, of service without source. We spend ourselves in organizing, managing, responding to needs—and all of this is good. But slowly, almost imperceptibly, we begin to drift. Like the disciples on the sea, we move farther and farther… and Jesus has not yet arrived.
Sometimes we build communities centred on personalities rather than Christ. Sometimes we focus so much on human needs that we forget the divine presence that alone gives lasting meaning. Sometimes we are so occupied with “serving at table” that we neglect prayer and the Word.
And then, without realizing it, we find ourselves rowing in the dark.
The Gospel today is not a reproach; it is an invitation.
The disciples, when they see Jesus walking on the sea, are afraid. But He speaks: “It is I. Do not be afraid.” And then comes a beautiful line: they wanted to take Him into the boat. This desire is the turning point.
Everything begins to change not when they row harder, but when they are willing to receive Him.
This is the question before us today: Do we truly want Jesus in our boat? Or have we grown accustomed to managing without Him?
The apostles in the first reading “held on” to God through prayer and the Word. Jesus Himself lives in constant communion with the Father. And even the small contribution of others—like the offering of the widows, or the service of the deacons—becomes fruitful when rooted in Him.
Our task is not to abandon what is human, but to offer it. Not to stop rowing, but to ensure that Christ is with us in the journey.
Because without Him, even the most sincere effort remains incomplete.
But with Him, something changes. The distance shortens. The darkness loses its hold. And the shore—our true destination—draws near, often sooner than we expect.
“Jesus did not arrive yet” is not just a description. It is a warning… and a grace. Let us desire Him again. Let us welcome Him again. And then, even in the midst of the storm, our boat will reach the shore.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
A ‘Yesni Prays’ Initiative
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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