9 April 2021

Friday in the Octave of Easter

No undertaking can bear fruit without the Lord’s grace, least of all the undertaking of the Church to preach the Gospel and gather in God’s people. In today’s Gospel from John (21:1-14), Peter and the other disciples with him are unsuccessful in their fishing efforts until the Lord himself directs them. There is a clear irony here, since Peter and the sons of Zebedee are all fishermen by trade, while the Lord is the son of a carpenter. This incongruity reveals that the essential ingredient in the Church’s mission, symbolized in Peter and the disciples’ efforts, is the grace that Jesus offers. Additionally, the number of Peter’s catch is symbolic: according to Jerome, the one hundred fifty-three fish represent all kinds of fish known at the time, and therefore that the Church will bring all nations into its fold.

For us who participate in the Church’s mission in various ways—as parents, teachers, ministers, laborers, and other professions—today’s Gospel reminds us to entrust the fruitfulness of our apostolate, no matter how great or small, to the Lord’s care. He will supply the fruitfulness, just as he enabled Peter and the disciples to bring in the miraculous catch of fish. And when we see the miraculous and unexpected fruits of God’s grace in our lives, let us proclaim with the beloved disciple, “It is the Lord!” and give thanks.