Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
The Holy Gospel reading for the first Sunday after New
Sunday is from St John 21: 1-14. In the last blog, (link here- A Tale of Two Coal Fires) we read a contemplation on the ‘coal of fires’ which make an appearance
in the Holy Scripture when Peter denied Jesus and then when the Risen Lord appear
to the disciples in the Lake of Tiberias.
In this blog, we will contemplate on another aspect from the entire episode that would have brought bitter-sweet memories in the
mind of Peter. The Holy Scripture verses are Gospel of St John 21: 3-6 and Gospel
of St Luke 5:3-6. Let us read:
“Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They
went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples
did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you
any food?”
They answered Him, “No.”
And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side
of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able
to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore
that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”” (St John 21:3-7;
NKJV)
“….And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the
boat. When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep
and let down your nets for a catch.”
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have
toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down
the net.” And when they had done this,
they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. (St Luke 5:3-6; NKJV)
The second biblical verse occurs at the beginning of
our Lord’s ministry and the first one happens after His resurrection. When we
carefully read the verses in St Luke 5:3-6, we note that Christ in the midst of
his discourse to the multitude, asks Simon to ‘Launch out into the deep and
let down your nets for a catch.
Simon responds that they toiled all night and caught
nothing but since Jesus has commanded he will let down the net. Read the verses
again.
Jesus asks Simon to let down the ‘nets’; not one net
but many- the Lord knows it will be a great gain. Simon is perplexed- he toiled
all night and caught nothing and here is a Carpenter telling a seasoned
fisherman with an authoritative tone that he should now launch his nets. Simon isn’t
hopeful; his faith isn’t 100% but he doesn’t want to disobey either. Simon responds that for the sake of Jesus’s request
he will let down the net though they caught nothing the whole night.
Jesus asked to let down the ‘nets’; Simon in half-hearted
obedience agrees to let down the ‘net’.
The results were astonishing- the number of fishes
caught were so huge that their net was breaking. Had Simon obeyed to let the
nets (as Jesus commanded) instead of one net (per his knowledge and
experience), perhaps the net wouldn’t have come to the point of breaking.
Roughly 3 years later, life comes a full circle for
Simon Peter with a similar incident.
Simon Peter is still reeling in the guilt of denying
his Lord even though he proclaimed that he would lay down his life for Him.
Unsure of forgiveness, uncertain of his purpose and ministry, Simon sought to
seek solace in the vocation that he abandoned for Jesus- fishing.
Again, the whole night he toiled relying on his skills
as a fisherman but found nothing. The exhausted, guilt ridden, weary man only
had to say a defeated ‘no’ alongwith other disciples when asked by Jesus if
they had any food.
They again heard a familiar command- this time to
launch the net on the right side. Something would have pierced Simon Peter’s
heart when he heard it. They were asked to launch only a net this time
reminding Simon Peter of his half-hearted obedience and hopelessness. He was
hopeless then about the catch, he is unsure now of forgiveness.
The story doesn’t
end with despair- there is a blessing in the form of multitudes of fish. Lastly, the disciple whom Jesus
loved tells Peter- ‘It is the Lord’!
How often in our limited understanding we doubt, ‘if
this is possible with God’? The feast of Resurrection of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ underlines the message of hope. Our teacher the blessed St Paul distinguishes between the worldly
sorrow and godly repentance: “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to
salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”(II
Corinthians 7:10, NKJV). The worldly sorrow made Judas Iscariot hang himself
however the godly sorrow led Peter to repentance. The worldly sorrow made Adam
to hide himself from the Lord, but the godly sorrow made the prodigal son to
return to his father.
There
are many amongst us who need a helping hand, who are despaired, torn, defeated and like Simon arent sure of launching the nets.
We
all may not become great orators, spiritual leaders, counsellors etc but with a
gentle nudge and with a ray of hope, we like the beloved disciple John, can
definitely tell the broken ones- ‘Look unto the Lord’.
“But those who wait
on the Lord
Shall renew their
strength;
They shall mount up
with wings like eagles,
They shall run and
not be weary,
They shall walk and
not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31; NKJV)
In
Christ,
Rincy
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