|
 A Thought on Sunday - Jesus Cooks Breakfast
From the desk of Fr. Ignatius, c.p.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Today Jesus cooks breakfast.
I’m sure he often did. It is just that today we hear about it.
Without him, the apostles were at a loose end. They decided to go back to what they knew something about - fishing! But they weren’t great at that either. All night they caught nothing. Jesus, standing by the shore in the early morning light, could see where the fish were.
Apparently then, and to this day, it is easier to see where the fish are from the shore than from a boat!
So following his directions, they catch so many fish they cannot haul the net in. It’s only then they recognise it is Jesus and as they come closer to shore they see he has a fire burning and he has bread and he’s cooking fish.
Was he doing some fishing of his own?
Jesus says, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” And Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore full of big fish, one hundred and fifty three of them; and despite there’re being so many, the net was not broken. And Jesus said, “Come and have breakfast.”
What a happy breakfast that must have been! The toasted bread and the fresh fish would have been delicious after the long night. What did they have to drink? The gospel doesn’t say. No doubt they were drinking in the whole wonder of having Jesus with them again, looking at the wounds in his hands and feet, noticing how he is the same Jesus they knew so well and yet he’s different; wondering is he angry with them for their cowardice and betrayal.
Yet, he is cooking breakfast for them! He is the same thoughtful, practical, loving man he was before.
Before?
They don’t want to think about before! But it’s as if nothing had happened; maybe the breakfast is Jesus’ way of saying, “It’s o.k. I understand you, you like to think you’re strong and tough but no one’s that tough when it comes to it! You know that now and that’s great learning. From now on you’ll know it’s not a problem to be weak and flawed. Maybe you didn’t realise it up to now. God can use you best when you do not let your imagined strength or intelligence get in the way and when you realise your weakness does not disqualify you either. If it did, there would be no one in the Kingdom of God!”
Why did they remember there were 153 fish caught in that one haul? Was it because it was such a large number or because the fish were to be divided among the crew? Maybe. But this is John’s gospel, remember, where details like this often have hidden meanings.
St. Jerome gives a very attractive and ingenious explanation. In the sea, he said, there are 153 different kinds of fish so this catch includes every possible kind. The number 153 means that one day all the different peoples of the earth will be gathered into the net of God’s kingdom. There is room for everyone, strange fish though we may be! And note that the net was not broken despite the many and the different and it is Peter who drags it ashore.
We are still struggling towards that ideal. We should know now, if we didn’t know before, that the church is not an exclusive perfect society. We have mighty ideals but each of us is a work in progress and always will be. Being inclusive doesn’t mean lowering those ideals but it means welcoming people where they are!
Part of people’s anger with the church is that we made them feel unworthy and unwanted; we met them with rigidity and rules rather than with understanding and compassion and now, they find we are so compromised ourselves.
How different it would be if we could find a way of cooking a mighty breakfast and welcoming everyone!
|
