Dear Friends,
I returned this week from a vacation on the island of Ambergris off the coast of Belize. The group I traveled with enjoy fishing and appreciate the care for the environment that the local officials have put into preserving fishing for long into the future. Part of this commitment involves returning fish to the ocean, even the really nice sized ones. I’m not much of a fisherman but I do enjoy the warmth, the sunshine, a chance to rest and to read a couple of novels. Coming home to Omaha was a bit of a shock. We went from 80 degrees and warm sand to blowing snow and cold.
The room in the hotel where we stayed overlooked a dock where sport fishing boats left each morning. As I would have my morning coffee while giving thanks to God for the beauty of the day, I would also have the opportunity to listen in on the conversations between fishing guides and fishermen as they packed up their boats for a day of fishing. Most of them were not looking for the big fish of the open seas but for the game fish closer to shore: bonefish, tarpon, permit, and snapper. Very few were looking to bring the fish home to eat. Instead they simply enjoy the battle and then release them back into the sea. They would return mid-afternoon either excited about the day of catching fish or frustrated that the fish were not biting.
As with my companions on this trip, fishermen have to be patient. For the reality of being out on the water is that you spend way more time not catching fish than you do actually reeling them in. Their first day fishing, my companions seemed to catch one right after another, but no other day was like that one. This means that fishermen also have to be persistent. Not only do you have to be patient enough to learn and develop your skills, you also need to have the determination to see it through. Listening to my friends discuss the day over an evening cocktail, I also concluded that to be a fisherman you also have to be adventurous. If you want to succeed at fishing in the long run, you must be willing to take chances and make changes. You cannot simply go back to the same place and same bait day after day. You have to be willing to make changes to succeed.
Our gospel for this weekend is John’s account of the call of the first disciples. Many of them are fishermen from Capernaum. While a fairly common job in the area around the Sea of Galilee, I do not think it is simply coincidence that Jesus called fishermen. I think he was looking for people who could be patient, persistent and adventurous to be some of the first to follow him. They would have the experience and qualities necessary to remain with him when things got tough.
The town we stayed in on the island is called San Pedro (St. Peter). And the church in town is named for San Pedro, the Fisherman. A statue, done by a local person, stands outside the front doors of the church. It is of St. Peter standing there with his fishing net in hand. Certainly, the locals on Ambergris could relate to this fisherman who went from searching for fish to searching for people. On the walls of the church are paintings of the key moments of Peter’s life which express both the successes and failures of Peter’s attempt to follow Jesus. The one I liked best was of Peter having his feet washed. The artist has Peter grimacing while Jesus washes his feet as if he was in pain. One of the most important lessons Peter had to learn was to let go of his self-centered ego and let God do the work. After all, that is the only way he ever caught fish to begin with. God provided.
That is a lesson we all can learn from Peter. While we work hard at our fishing, we are all really in God’s hands and God will take care of us…if we allow it.
Peace,
Fr. Damian