Ordinary Time

Pause

Jesus, come and be with me.

Awaken me to your presence.

Jesus, come and sit with me.

Guide me in your truth.

Listen

Later, Jesus himself appeared again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter told them, “I’m going fishing.”

They said, “We’ll go with you.” They set out in a boat, but throughout the night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples didn’t realize it was Jesus.

Jesus called to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”

They answered him, “No.”

He said, “Cast your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”

So they did, and there were so many fish that they couldn’t haul in the net.

John 21:1-6

Think

Have you heard of the phrase “keep on keepin’ on”? Maybe you’ve seen it on a mug, perhaps rephrased as “keep calm and carry on.” Without doing a quick Google search, I’m sure you can gather the general gist of the phrases. Simply put: do your work. Whatever it may be — finishing that annoying homework, being a good friend, helping a sibling, heeding the advice of parents and teachers, finishing that application — just show up and do it.

I wonder if this is how the disciples felt. Their friend and leader was crucified. They fled the scene and denied him. Then the tomb was empty. I wonder if they felt confused, defeated, and abandoned. I imagine some of them even felt angry. Scripture doesn’t tell us how they felt.

Scripture does, however, tell us that the disciples picked up their nets, got on that boat, and fished. They did what they had to do. Maybe they didn’t feel like fishing, but they did it anyway. The disciples showed up. And you know what? Jesus showed up, too.

Aram Bae

Pray

Jesus, I confess that sometimes I allow my feelings to dictate my faithfulness in answering your call. It’s easy to give up. Help me in my weaknesses. Encourage me to show up for you, and remind me that you always show up, too. Amen.

Go

Christ my Lord, be alive and real in my life.

Christ my Friend, be near and true to your word.

Christ my God, be honored in what I say and do.