Going Back

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”

Jn. 21:3a

"I am going fishing" said St. Peter, and the other disciples who were there said "We also will come with you." At this point, Jesus had appeared to the Apostles before already. They were no longer hiding in the locked room. The appearances of Jesus had gradually warmed their hearts and strengthened their spirits. But, Peter returned to fishing instead of spreading the news that Jesus had risen from the dead. However, even here we can see what Jesus said to Peter in the very beginning coming to fulfillment: "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt. 4:19). The disciples said to Peter, "We are coming with you!" Peter was catching men, but perhaps he did not see the significance of this yet. And so they set out for the sea to catch some fish.

They caught nothing. They were unable to catch anything because they have been called to catch men and be for God, fishers of men. They were unable to catch anything because they were doing it apart from Jesus. Apart from God, man can do nothing, let alone doing anything well. When they had seen Jesus, and listened to His instructions, they caught numerous fish. The lesson they learned here was to depend on God and to heed the Words of Jesus. They caught 153 large fish, symbolizing the 153 species of fish that were known throughout the world and classified at the time - perhaps pointing to their call to preach the Good News universally to all nations and to be fishers of men.

My brothers and sisters, as people who have come to know and love the Lord, we now must serve Him in telling others about Him and bringing them into relationship with Him. Once we have come to encounter Jesus, our lives will never be the same again. Peter could not simply go back to catching fish, because he has been called to catch men. Now that Easter Sunday came and the Octave is slowly coming to and end, we cannot, we must not go back to our old ways. On Easter Sunday we renewed our baptismal promises, and we responded loudly “I do!” to each one of those questions, and now we must live and preach it by our lives. It was time for Peter to let go of that fish. What is the Lord inviting us to let go of today?