This week we stay with Sunday’s Gospel account. John the evangelist sketches for us a beautiful scene on the shores of the sea of Galilee. An unrecognisable Jesus appears to his disciples, gives them a catch of fish beyond their expectations and cooks them breakfast on the beach!
At the beginning of the narrative we are told that Simon Peter announces that he is going fishing. His companions say that they will join him.
The context of this account is in the aftermath of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection. We need to try and understand the mindset of these chaps. Their friend, Jesus, who they had left everything to follow, who they had hoped would change their lives forever, was, for them now, gone. Their hopes and dreams had been dashed. Simon Peter – who institutes the
expedition – has lost his identity, his friend, his hope in something new.
It is important to notice what Peter does: he returns to fishing. The very thing he left to follow Jesus now becomes his default position. Peter goes back to the aimless activity that he got away from at the beginning of the Gospel. Would he have followed Jesus so quickly if he really thought fishing was his vocation?
We can speculate that going back to fishing means that Peter – and his mates – were in a psychologically difficult space, suffering because of their mental anguish after all that had happened. They were trying to rebuild their lives. Fishing was their ‘back stop’ in their now (seemingly) aimless lives.
Sometimes we too have a ‘back stop’ or ‘default position’ when life throws challenges in our path. When things go badly, when we are suffering psychologically, when we are anguished or grieving, we too might have a certain ‘default position’.
Take time today to consider what you do when you are challenged by life.
What practices help you steady yourself or regain your balance when life is difficult?
