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| JOHN TOLD PETER, "IT IS THE LORD". Image from danielgraves.blogspot.com |
So he said to them,
"Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something."
- John 21:6a
For the third time the Risen Lord appears to the Apostles this time while they were fishing and once again they failed to recognize Him until He provides them a sign. It is only after they have once again miraculously caught fish that the beloved disciple recognizes Him and tells Peter, "It is the Lord" [see John 21:7]. The first time that the Lord performed this miraculous catch of fish, Peter was so overcome by a great awe that he realized his sinfulness and told the Lord to go away from him [see Luke 5: 1-8]. This time, Peter jumps from the boat and goes to where the Lord was standing.
The first time the Lord ordered Peter to cast the net, duc in altum, it was after the Lord preached to a number of people. Peter obeyed Him for he heard Him speak and probably thought that it was worth a try for the order came from someone who seems to be extraordinary, for he says, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets" [Luke 5:5]. After that event, Peter was called to be among the Apostles with the Lord telling him, "From now own, you will fish for men" [Luke 5:10].
Fishing for men or winning souls through the Gospel is the mission which the Lord has left upon the shoulders of Peter and the other Apostles, who constituted the first Church upon the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, especially through the great sending off, called the great commission, recorded in Matthew 28:19: "Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". After them, the early Church continued the mission all over the known world at that time and then through the centuries that followed until today. The Church has not stopped from fulfilling the call to fish for people so that even those who are not yet members of the Lord's flock may already belong [see John 10:16].
But we must take note of the Lord's order to "cast the net over the right side". There are times when we work so hard without any success at all because we fish on the wrong side. But what do we mean by the wrong side?
The wrong side could mean proclaiming the Gospel improperly, such as for the mere sake of trying to add up members without providing them with the proper Christian nourishment starting with milk food before giving them meat [see 1 Corinthians 3:2], or by trying to win them over through heated debates and argumentation instead of showing them the way through Christian love, or through other means inconsistent with the message of the Gospel thereby causing apprehension, inhibition and even open hostility, which at times lead to unnecessary persecution. The wrong way or manner of fishing therefore would not help us succeed in gaining souls for the Lord.
Fishing on the right side is important and it can be done by following the command of the Lord to love one another. This is because He himself said that it is through our love for one another that we shall be known to be Christians [see John 13: 34-35] and which shall inspire others to join the fold, a manifestation of a fruitful ministry [see John 15:16] for they shall now see clearly that the one who really steers our journey is the Lord and no one else [see John 21:7].
Let us love one another and bear fruit that will last. Let us proclaim the Gospel of Holy Friendship, John 15: 12-17, and concretize it in our lives by washing each other's feet [see John 13:14]. Through this we shall manifest fishing on the right side.
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