John 21: 1-14
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Let Jesus Meet You
A few weeks ago, after I got home from a funeral, I cleaned the house—like, the entire house. Then I cleaned my car. And then, I prepared meals for the week. Why? Because the grief, confusion, and loss were just too heavy to face head-on. These familiar tasks felt safer than sitting with the hurt.
In today’s Gospel, the disciples respond to their own loss in a similar way. Returning to the life they knew before everything changed, Peter says, “I am going fishing.” It is practical, familiar, and manageable. It’s the Biblical version of stress-cleaning the garage or alphabetizing the spice rack.
Yet, Jesus does not remain distant from their grief and disappointment. After a long night of catching nothing, Jesus appears on the shore and tells them to give it one more try. They do it, and suddenly they realize who has been with them all along.
Jesus does the same with us. He meets us in the middle of our hurt, even when we try to avoid it by keeping busy. Today, slow down and let Jesus meet you where you’re hurting (if you're lucky, he might even have breakfast waiting).
—Jackie Schulte is the Head of School and Dean of Faculty Formation at Creighton Preparatory School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
you come to us on ordinary shores,
in the middle of grief, disappointment, sadness, and loss.
When we would rather avoid what hurts,
meet us where we are.
Call out to us
and welcome us to your fire.
Feed us with your presence,
and teach us to remain with you.
Amen.
—Jackie Schulte