Reflection - Reverting to the Old Haunts
Reverting to the old haunts S.R.T.
Sometimes, when your world is blown apart, all you want is to return to the familiar, to the old habits, to the way of life you knew. You look for a firm footing, a steadiness that reassures you that nothing has changed. Deep down, of course, you know that everything has changed, that life can never be the same again, but, just now, you want to fall into the familiar. You press the pause button.
Was it like this for Peter and the apostles? The gut-wrenching event of Calvary, with all their own betrayals looming large, the horror, the dying of the dream. And then, the unbelievable presence of Jesus, no longer bloodied or broken, but alive, walking, talking, really real. It was all too much. It was overpowering. So, back to the sea, back to the boats, the nets, the dearly familiar. "I'm going fishing," Peter said. The others didn't need an invitation (Jn 21:3).
That night must have been a night of memories for Peter and the others. The slap of the oars on the water, the sway of the boat, letting out the net again and again, letting the boat drift in the darkness, their muted exchanges, and their growing tiredness as they pulled in the empty net time after time. He had called them ‘fishers of men.' Poor fishermen they were if they could not even catch one sprat all night. Yet another failure.
It was time to go back; the light was already streaking the sky. They turned the boat and made for the shore with their empty net. Someone was standing there in the dawn light. "Any fish?" No, no fish. You don't elaborate on your failures, blame the sea, or the weather, or the nets. There were no fish. But still, when the Stranger asked them, they threw the net out once more. One more throw wouldn't matter.
And then, the huge haul, the shock of recognition, the speechless joy. Dragging in the net to the shore and finding the fire, the bread, and the fish cooking. "Come and have breakfast," he said. No longer a stranger, "They knew it was the Lord" (Jn 21:14). Come to a new day, a new life, a new beginning.
The Lord meets us too, in our familiar haunts, even in our comfort zones. Perhaps we'll meet him, as St Teresa of Avila said, ‘among the pots and pans.' No need to run to the desert or the mountain - unless, of course, he calls us there. Look for him in the place where you are now. Blessed is that place.
And, be ready. It may be time to throw out your net once more.
