The fish is a Christian symbol that has become popular in recent years. However, the fish is a very ancient symbol. It arose from the fact that, in the Greek spoken in Jesus’ day, the first letters of the words "Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior" spell "ICHTHUS," which is Greek for "fish."
That the fish was an ancient symbol for Jesus can help us understand today’s gospel, in which risen Jesus, by the Sea of Tiberias, took fish and some bread, gave them to his disciples, and invited them to eat. These details intentionally remind us of an earlier time when Jesus, again by the Sea of Tiberias, fed a vast crowd by multiplying a small handful of loaves and fishes.
After feeding them, Jesus taught the crowd that it is necessary to receive his body and blood in the Eucharist. Jesus’ meal of bread and fish in today’s gospel also speaks of the Eucharist. In a subtle way, we learn that the risen Jesus- symbolized by a fish and the bread- feeds us with himself at every Eucharist. He invites us, just as he invited his disciples, "Come, and eat your meal."
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