It's week 3 after the Resurrection, and after a long Lenten 
journey, the lilies started to wither, and summer plans are in the making! Lent is a hard enough period with the prayer, fasting and alms giving… (during this lent did you fast, pray and gave alms?... Just asking) Then came festivities of the Resurrection! The “season” is somewhat over and things are returning to normal… so to speak. Normal is good, it's comfortable. But ask yourself this question - is a return to your old self a good thing? It's comfortable, and in many ways it will prove to be inevitable, but it is not our only option.
   In today’s gospel, in chapter 21 of the Gospel of John, you can see what I'm talking about. At this point in this gospel narrative, Jesus has already appeared to the twelve apostles after His Resurrection. They have seen the risen Lord; He has spoken to them, comforted them, offered His peace and breathed the Holy Spirit on them. Honestly, it sounds like a pretty moving experience if you ask me. So why is it that just a few verses later, instead of forgiving the sins of others like Jesus invited them to do, Peter and the boys are "Going fishing"? When all else fails, when we don’t get it, when we lack courage..., we turn to the familiar. 
   We love the familiar. It provides us with a comfort we desire and don't trust ourselves to find in an unfamiliar situation. The reality is, we can attempt to be our best selves for a short period (say forty days), but for the long term? It often times seems too daunting. We often approach Lent searching for a seasonal change when God invites us into one that is much greater than that. Just like the apostles, our desire to return to what we know isn't because we want to go back to our old ways, but instead, because we don't fully believe we are able to be more! But what happens when the apostles get back into their boat? They don't catch anything. Well, not until Jesus shows up. He offers them a bit of advice, a bit of support and a bit of faith. They've been in this spot before, and after thinking back, I'm sure they knew what was going to happen when they cast their nets on Jesus' command. A huge catch! Actually, ALL 153 species of fish!
   Aren't we somewhat similar to these broken men? We finish up the beautiful Lenten season but now we find ourselves saying, what next? Resorting back to our old selves is so easy, but there is Jesus standing on the shore, once again, with the same invitation He had for us yesterday, and the day before, and every single day before that. He wants us to trust Him, and offers us a bit of advice, a bit of support and bit of faith. He wants us to have a big catch. 
   I invite you to spend time over this week reflecting on that question - what do you want? - and seeing if it aligns with what the Lord wants. 
   The apostles wanted to be fishermen and the Lord wanted them to be fishers of men! The apostles eventually figured it out. In the very few known words of St. Sharbel: Do Not walk on a path that does not lead you to heaven!