Homily

When I was a child, I remember fishing with my dad. I remember when we first got the boat and how cool it was to go out on the water. The view was completely different than from the shore. Furthermore, I remember the hours spent just sitting in the boat waiting for that fish to nibble and grab on to my hook. It was quite exciting. But, I have wondered why go sport fishing? Why did my dad take out so much time to do something that would ultimately end in a fish dinner, something that could have more easily been done by a quick trip to the supermarket or fish-store. My dad has since passed on and so I don’t have the answers to these questions. But, I now ponder if it was his way of connecting with us kids. You see, he worked long hours and would go out on long business trips. I’d say that he also struggled in being “Dad” to nine children, all of whom were uniquely different and challenging. I wonder if he had clued into something. I wonder if he knew that by taking out some of his children on a boat forced us to stay together when normally we’d separate and do our own thing. I wonder if he knew that during those seemingly endless waits between catching a fish, we would engage in small talk, discussing our hopes, dreams, stories of events that mattered, as well as silly jokes. Later, we would have the job of gutting out the fish, cleaning then, and then offering them to Mom who would cook them for us. I have come to see more clearly now that it is in these ordinary, close-knit times, these times when we only had each other that we grew close to each other. I think it’s safe to say that for those siblings of mine who experienced these things, they are times we will never forget.

For the Disciples, those who were fishermen, I can imagine that they knew each other very well and had countless hours of conversation about the most mundane things, or at least prior to their encounter with Jesus. Then Jesus shows up and turns their lives upside down. Then he leaves them. This is where we pick up this story. Today in the Gospel, the followers of Jesus have returned to their previous way of life as fishermen. I can imagine the stories they would have told while fishing. I imagine that their conversations would have been very different than prior to their encounter with Jesus. You see, since the last time they went fishing, hell broke loose, heaven was rent asunder, the savior came and walked in their midst, he healed people, cured people, the Word of God was in their midst. I can imagine that all of them pondered on the miraculous events done at the hands of Jesus. I can imagine the bewilderment they must have felt in the retelling and interpreting of those events. I can imagine the guilt they must have felt and possibly talked about when they ran away or denied or chose not to believe in the one whom they called “Master”, “Teacher,” and “Messiah.”

Jesus give them instructions. He tells them to cast their nets to the other side of the boat. This appearance takes them by surprise. They are so taken by this appearance of Jesus that they forget about what they were doing. Peter jumps into the water, a place of darkness and evil. He is undaunted as he makes his way through the water to his savior. Meanwhile the rest of the crew starts making their way, possibly ignorant of the fact that they haven’t pulled up their net. For sure they are determined to join Peter with Jesus and drag the fish in their nets allowing the fish to get beat up as they near the shore and hit the bottom of the lake. Yet, the men don’t care. These are not the same 12 scruffy men we met at the beginning of the Gospel.

Again, Jesus gives them instructions to fish. They listen to him and incredible things happen. As Christians, we are supposed to listen to Jesus too. He is calling us to cast our nets. Yet, we are too often too self-consumed. Some us would rather not listen. I’m in charge. I am in control. I have got plans. Yet, Jesus tells us that he has plans for us, plans for greatness and adventure, for good things and a full life. I have come that you might have life and have it in abundance (cf. Jn 10:10). The sign of the fish was an abundant sign as was the multiplication of loaves and fish and the miracle in Cana. You see, when Jesus gets involved in our lives, our life is going to be full and abundant. This is who we are to be. This doesn’t mean that we are all going to be missionaries or evangelists like those in today’s Acts of the Apostles reading. But what ever it may be, it will have unexpected turns and adventures