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by George Bersabe Jn. 21:1-14 
F or the third time, Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples. This time, He appeared to them at the Sea of Tiberias. This is just very close to the Sea of Galilee where Jesus called His first disciples.
It was said in the story that the disciples went fishing but caught nothing that night. On the following day, Jesus appeared to them, and again, He was not recognized by the disciples. He ordered them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. Lo and behold! They caught that day so many fish.
Even so, the net was not torn apart. It was said that they caught 153 large fish.
Through John's eyes of faith, the disciples beginning from Peter believed that Jesus was indeed present with them. Jesus invited them for breakfast. There, once again, just like what He did in His previous appearances, especially after walking on the way to Emmaus with two disciples, He took the bread, blessed it, broke it and shared it to them. They didn t knew beforehand, it was the Lord.
The disciples were able to catch a lot of fish because they had listened and followed Jesus. His presence with them served to strengthen their faith. Thus, the resurrection of Jesus had lifted their spirit and they regained their trust and confidence in Him.
For us today, just like the apostles during that time, listening and following is not that easy. A prerequisite is needed. Such condition is to let go of the things that we hold so dear. When the disciples let go of the net, they were able to listen and follow Jesus. They were able to catch fish so abundantly.
In our life today, as we continue to follow Jesus, letting go of the things that hold us is vital to be able to fully listen and follow His command. We do not know where does Jesus want us to cast the net of evangelization, that is why we need to have a listening heart so we can follow Him.
It is our responsibilty to evangelize and bring people to the Lord. He will lead us to where we should go. The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.
When we learn to listen, we will surely learn to follow, too. Jesus is the one telling us this. I firmly believe that if we follow what He says, it shows we have FAITH.
Prayer:
Lead us Lord to where You want us to cast our net. Send us to people You want us to evengelize. Open our hearts to listen to You so we may follow You and do Your holy will. Amen. |
