Friday in the Octave of Easter

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

So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.

My son once told me the only more boring than fishing is talking about it.
As an avid fly fisherman I disagree. As we can see from our text today and with what we know about Peter, he would disagree too. Fishing for fish is a sound occupation to draw your recruits from if you want men to be fishers of men.
Fishing, whether in a boat with a net or on the Llano River in Central Texas with a fly rod, places us in a different environment. We are surrounded by water and nature. We are left to our own thoughts and we can quiet down the voices of the world and do something very basic and very fundamental….go fishing.
It is a time of slowing down life and for most of us we can get lost in it as time passes us by.
When the disciples saw Jesus on the shore, they knew who he was and as they approached him the quiet of the water and the quiet of the morning, it was dawn we are told, the quiet and peace of the water and shore was still permeating everything.
They had just spent much time in the boat in the pre-dawn hours, where it was more darkness than light. They had sat there and worked the nets and were unfruitful and were coming up empty.
It is in this mindset that Jesus found them that morning. For as the dawn was breaking, as light began to take over from darkness and they were able to see better, Jesus was already there waiting.
We all need that time to be quiet too. We all need a place where it is more quiet than noisy. Where we can get back to the basics of our life and mission on earth. To remember that the light of our life is Jesus Christ and it is only with him that we will find true food and living water that lasts forever.
This Friday in the week of Easter, after having passed through Holy Week and Easter Sunday, after we have gone back to work, picked up the hammer again or the keyboard and returned pretty much to life as we know it in Austin, we need to use this upcoming weekend to get back into the boat with Peter.
We need to remind ourselves that we do not want to live life in darkness by brushing past the excitement and wonder of Easter and the Resurrection and just returning to the status quo. Peter went fishing again and Jesus appeared even in his fishing to remind him that all his pursuits from now on will be born and nourished from the Word and the Eucharist.

Even his fishing will produce a bounty if Jesus Christ is with them.
This weekend after Easter it is just as important for us to reconnect with Jesus Christ in our life too. For our success in our mission as Christians depends on ensuring Christ is in our life.

We may not be going fishing this weekend. But hopefully we can find time to be quiet and let the dawn of Jesus Christ wrap itself around our life. Enlighten our faith and remove our doubts and fears.

Remember this weekend as we rise from sleep and darkness to seek Christ in the dawn and light. Invite him into our day so we will be fruitful in our endeavors and grow in faith and love.