Trust in the Wisdom of God and you will see great

*Trust in the Wisdom of God and you will see great things.*

Good morning, happy Friday, and blessings.
 
In today’s gospel (John 21:1-12) we have a panorama where Peter and other disciples feel discouraged and forget all the promises that Jesus had offered them. It is in this context that in today's Gospel Peter says to the disciples: “I’m going fishing,” what he meant by that was, “I’m going back to fishing” – back to my old way of life – to which the other disciples responded, “We are also coming with you.” (21:3)
 
I do not know about you, but I can identify with Peter.  I have been down that road before.  There have been times in my life when God seemed to be so near, so abundant, so awesome, and there have been other times when God seemed distant and far away.  There have been times when my prayers seemed to yield an immediate, tangible response, and there have been times when they seemed to have gone unanswered altogether.  And so, I can identify with Peter and the others and the anguish they must have felt as they reluctantly let go of the unfulfilled promises and unrealized hopes and dreams of their life with Jesus.
 
Face it, sometimes you just want to throw in the towel and shuck it all, and if that’s where you find yourself today, take heart.  There have been lots of others who’ve been down that road before you.  The Good News is that God is faithful and abounding in steadfast love, and even during those times when we feel discouraged and impatient and that all hope is lost, God comes to us and calls us back into fellowship with himself.  We’ll see this played out in the story in just a moment.  However, “they immediately went out and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing” (21:3).
 
John goes on to say, “But when day had already come, Jesus stood on the beach, yet the disciples didn’t know that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them, ‘Children, have you anything to eat?’ They answered him, “No.” He said to them, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.'” But again, on the level of faith, what’s important here is that, in spite of their fatigue, the disciples were willing to take Jesus at his word and throw out their nets once more.  When they did, “Their nets were filled with great big fishes!”
 
They caught fish, not because they got lucky, but because they listened to Jesus.  And the question each of us must ask ourselves is this: Am I willing to listen for the voice of God and act on faith alone?  Well, by now, you can see that this story is not about fishing at all but trusting in the sovereignty of God. 
 
When you find yourself out of synch with God’s will for your life, nothing seems to go right.  Everything is uncoordinated and in conflict with itself.  Only as you get back into the flow of God’s Spirit leading your life will things start to fall into place again.  Today I invite you not to give up, that faith does not die, and that hope does not perish. Better days will come.
 
Blessings
 
Fr. Luis+