One of the enjoyable experiences I had growing up one block from the water in Greenport was going fishing.  Different kinds of fish were attracted by different kinds of bait.  When we saw the gulls diving for bait fish we would go out and troll for the bluefish underneath them.  Some days the bluefish only hit a diamond jig, some days only a feather with a hook in it and some days only a lure that looks like a surgical tube.

Today’s gospel reminds me of that experience and opens our minds and hearts to how God attracts our attention and how he calls us to catch the attention of one another for the best.  After preaching from their boats Jesus told the two sets of brothers to go back out fishing.  Peter’s response was one of obedience, but one of pessimism as a practical and veteran fisherman - “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”  Was Peter doing this just out of respect for Jesus, thinking all along that this is a waste of time?  The reaction of Peter at the great catch of fish was one of awe and fear.  He felt so unworthy of such goodness, fullness and abundance.  But Jesus saw through his fear and feelings of unworthiness and called him to catch men.  We all know the result of that call and acceptance.  Peter is part of the reason why we are who we are and where we are as the church.  He is part of the foundation laid by Jesus.

Now we are the ones who have not only been caught by God, but also called to be fishers of others.  Sometimes when we go fishing we look for where the other boats are.  We figure they must be catching something.  It becomes boring at times just to drop a line in the water for hours and catch nothing.  For the most part we are result oriented people.  Jesus did not choose the most well-known people to be his apostles.  He chose people from everyday life who responded to God’s presence in him.  How could he be sure they would catch the attention of others for God as he did?  He saw through their feelings of fear and inadequacy to the courage, hope, faith and love already present in the depths of their hearts.  Following Jesus, they built up the Kingdom of God, the Church in this world, through their words and actions.  Where did they “fish”? In whatever situation they found themselves in.  The only other person they had ever encountered fishing for men was Jesus.  And he did his fishing mainly among the people of Israel.  After his death the church spread throughout the world to being one billion strong today.  How did this happen?  Through the everyday efforts of believers like you and I to live the call to follow Jesus.

Our fishing grounds are very familiar - our homes, places of work, school, the neighborhood, the places where we shop, the groups we recreate with.  Every experience we have with others is an opportunity to catch the attention of one another by lowering the net filled with our love, goodness, humility, compassion and forgiveness.  One of the beautiful examples of fruitful catch we see is when children take care of their elderly parents, where the caretakers become those who need care.  The love and goodness than our parents showered upon us is a blessing for them when it is returned.  How often they lowered the net filled with their love and sacrifices for us.  What a joy it is to lower the net of our love and sacrifices in joy and gratitude for them.  That same beauty is seen in marriages where a healthy spouse cares for one who is suffering.

When fish are caught we take them home and eat them.  Jesus caught Peter, Andrew, James and John as well as countless others with his love and goodness.  Then he continued to feed them and they became food for one another and all whose lives they touched.  Caught by the love of others we become that nourishing love for them and all those God entrusts to our presence and care.  At times we can feel like Peter when he says, “we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing.”  Jesus never gave up, not even on the cross.  “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”  “This day you will be with me in Paradise.”  “Woman there is your son; son there is your mother.”  That is why more than 2,000 years later we are part of his presence in the world today, the Body of Christ, the Church.  When we feel like there is no use or think we have no energy to lower the net filled with our love, the voice of Jesus says, “Go out again.  I love you, I trust you, I need you, I am with you always.”

Father Walden ; ;