My dear parishioners, in the days following the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, Peter decides to go fishing at night on the black waters of the Galilee. Unfortunately, he and the other disciples with him catch nothing in spite of their best efforts. At daybreak a stranger on the nearby shore calls out to ask if they were successful. In response to the fishermen’s disappointment, he directs them to cast their net over the starboard side for a catch.
 
He speaks with authority, and they trust him. Their confidence in the stranger is not misplaced. Persevering, they make a haul of large fish and experience the satisfaction of their hard work. The fact that they could not hoist the teeming nets into the boat sets the scene for a remarkable procession of beginnings and endings, promise and fulfillment.
 
Their struggle to save the great catch of fish is broken by the shout of the disciple whom Jesus loved. He is first to recognizes the stranger as Jesus of Nazareth. "It is the Lord!" he cries.  [Jn 21:7]  Peter trusts the beloved disciple whose eyes, like those of the watchman, are alert for any sign of encouraging news.  [cf. Psa 127:1]  Though a hundred yards or more from land, Peter is the first to take action: he leaps from the boat and swims to shore.
 
With the boat and catch secured, the apostles join Jesus and Peter on shore before a charcoal fire. At the Lord's express command, Peter alone returns to the boat to gather up the great harvest of fish. He secures the overflowing catch.
 
The conclusion to John's gospel is notable for its emphasis on the cost of discipleship. All night Peter and the others fished without success. Only at the last instant did their hopes and dreams of faith come true. The prospect of hard work cannot be avoided: no other door exists by which one may enter fully into the Christian experience.
 
"If any man would come after me," says the Lord, "let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." [Mk 8:34] The gospel clearly teaches that true recognition of Jesus as the Christ requires a sustained and loving effort over an extended period of time. Moreover, such recognition is not a case of man's willing it but the lavish grace awarded by God to those who persevere in the ordinary events of life with an eye to journey’s end, the heavenly Jerusalem.
 
After breakfast, the Lord Jesus invites Peter to walk with him along the shore of Galilee. Three times in quick succession, the Lord looks intently at Peter and casts Peter’s love for him in the crucible of truth. Peter reasserts his fidelity, painfully conscious of the memory of his shameful apostasy in the courtyard of Caiaphas the high priest. Three times Jesus challenges him to purify his intentions, reaffirm his solidarity with Divine Love, and shepherd faithfully the infant Church.
 
To look at the human face, even the countenance of one whom we love very much, is to scan only the surface. We know that exterior beauty is painfully thin in comparison to the vast interior depth of the human person. There is more to being fully human than words or waves; this truth may be discerned by gazing into a person's eyes, that is, through the window of his heart and soul.
 
Dear friends in Christ, there is more to faith, hope, and love, and life itself than mere human experience. Human perception and judgment dissolve in the infinite depth of the divine, transcendent glory of God the Father. How great is the Holy Spirit, the light which illumines for believers the mystery of Divine Truth! How great is the human capacity to experience the joy of Divine Love! To perceive in the majesty of Jesus Christ the image and substance of the unoriginated origin  [ Council of Florence}  of all things seen and unseen! My dear friends in Christ, in this blessed season of Easter, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch"!  [Lk 5:4]