Gospel Reflection For The 5th day of April in the year of Our Lord, 2024
Gospel
John 21:1-14
1 After this, Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he shewed himself after this manner. 2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Nathanael, who was of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith to them: I go a fishing. They say to him: We also come with thee. And they went forth, and entered into the ship: and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus therefore said to them: Children, have you any meat? They answered him: No.
6 He saith to them: Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find. They cast therefore; and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes. 7 That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved, said to Peter: It is the Lord. Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him, (for he was naked,) and cast himself into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the ship, (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they came to land, they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith to them: Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught.
11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus saith to them: Come, and dine. And none of them who were at meat, durst ask him: Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 And Jesus cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish in like manner. 14 This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples, after he was risen from the dead.
Here, again, we find our Lord eating fish. But, I just have to say that one reason I love Saint Peter so much is that given any spare minute his instinct is always to go fishing! In a previous entry, I addressed a similar passage and discussed the deeper, spiritual meaning of fishing. I talked about Peter, mending his nets. But, in this one, I just enjoy identifying with this great saint, who shares my passion for fishing. From childhood, all I ever wanted to do was to go fishing. In school, I was constantly reprimanded for day dreaming, staring out of windows, desiring to be free from classrooms and structure, free and happy in the woods, hiking and fishing, camping and cooking fish over a campfire! This was rarely easy for me.
My dad left when I was five and never took me fishing on his few visits. On all but one memorable occasion, my uncles were always too busy. My mom took me fishing a few times, but she did not enjoy or have the patience for fishing. My grandfather and great grandfathers loved to fish, as did my great grandmother, but my grandfather died of ALS when I was 10, and I never got to go fishing with my great grandparents. So, fishing for me was mostly a solitary experience when I was old enough to be alone in nature.
Being on my own, my knowledge of the finer points of angling was self taught… and more error than trial. Of course, it is hard to go wrong with a cane pole, a cork float, light line, a hook and worms or crickets. But, knowing my love of fishing, spinning rods and artificial lures were the gifts I often received from relatives. The technology and bright colors were fascinating, but my success in catching fish seemed to decrease with each level of sophistication! Regardless, I learned the lessons of nature as I sat, silently, by a pond or a stream. I also learned to pray silently. To this day, I pray whenever I am in nature. I always pray the Rosary, but I often just talk with God. This is the meditation I understand and enjoy. I wonder if Saint Peter had a similar nature.
One thing that becomes very clear to an angler is that “fishing is not always catching!” To catch a fish is a blessing from God, especially if that fish is necessary for supper. Nets are, by far, the most effective means of fishing. But, in today’s Gospel, Saint Peter and his companions are having no luck. Jesus appears, and suddenly they have more abundance than they could handle. Thinking back to all those times when my skill at fishing was so lacking that I probably scared off more fish with each cast than I tempted with my lures, I cannot recall going hungry. Granted, I didn’t always eat the big fish I desired, but either a couple of small non-target fish, frog legs, foraged wild plants, or the few provisions I barely remembered to shove into my pack as I ran out the door would suffice.
As I have gotten older, one of the hardest lessons I have learned is to rely on God for all my needs. That may seem a strange statement, but I am a man and men are proud. We are most proud of our capabilities and skills. When I was just out of college, I was very successful. Everything I needed seem to come to me with ease based on my talents. Then, the recession of 2008 hit and I nearly lost everything, including my home. The harder I worked, the less successful I seemed to be, and the more people tried to take advantage of me, not paying for the jobs agreed to or cheating me. The weaker I became financially, the more the wolves were at my door. I began to pray hard, spending more time in prayer than ever. The more I prayed and relied on God, the more often He gave me my “daily bread.” When I could go no further and do no more, small miracles would happen and I would receive a blessing that was just enough. It took over ten years, but I eventually paid all of my debts and just enough became enough, and then a little extra.
It is important to remember that in the Our Father we pray, “give us this day our daily bread.” We don’t ask for tomorrow’s bread or a store of all we will need in the future. We must learn to rely on God for this daily bread. That takes faith. Human nature is to plan for the future. That is good and that nature is given to us by God. But, we must remember that His will is greater and better than ours. Our plans often fail. Of the rich man in a parable who had stored up all he would ever need, our Lord said, “You fool, do you not know that your life will be required of you tonight?” The moment he began to rely on himself and not on the providence of God, all he had became worthless.
No matter our skill and talents, all blessings come from God. Even those skills and talents come from God. Rely on God for everything. Thank Him with true gratitude. He will provide. Especially when we are struggling, it is important to have faith in His providence. Very often, only when we have exhausted our options through failure and turn humbly to God as the last resource dose God answer our prayers. We have to learn humility. God, being God, cannot lie. He always keeps His promises.
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Gospel passages are taken from the Douay Rheims Bible.