You Will Find Something

by Rev. Joe McCloskey, SJ

Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. John 21:5-6


Three challenges face us in our Gospel of today; the challenge of community; the challenge of following instructions; the challenge of recognizing Christ. Each of these challenges is aggravated by our need to do things our way.

When Christ first appeared to the disciples in the upper room, Thomas was not there. He would not believe the apostles because he wanted or needed to be able to see Christ for himself. He was there the next time and heard Christ speak his conditions for believing. Christ showed him the wounds that made it obvious who he was. Thomas in our Gospel of today was not going to miss out in a community action. When Peter said he was going fishing, Thomas who perhaps had never gone fishing was there at the head of the list of those who went. Christ belongs to the Community and comes to the two or more that gather in his name.

My work takes me to many different communities. Many communities have their unique way of doing things. It is hard to fit into a community that you are not a regular part of. What it means to belong to a community is a comfort level that arises from the frequency of participation. Over the years I have watched communities change their way of doing things. Some changes deal with the essential of what makes a community Catholic. There are certain basic dimensions of liturgy that are what is called “sine qua non” (without which it is not what it is supposed to be.” There are other instructions for liturgy that are optional. Many different cannons are approved and valid and it is at the discretion of the priest following certain norms to make his choices. The optional is a choice developed over the years that keeps us faithful to our traditions.

The choices others make for us is where difficulty arises. Fads come and go. I like going down to greet the community and I have been doing it for many years. The instruction not to leave the altar because you are giving your back to God seems incongruous when you are greeting the Christ of each other. I can not tell you how many times I witness conversations that belong to before or after Mass distracting from the liturgy. The Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In my old age I find that rituals make it easier to pray the Mass. Changes challenge us to look more closely at why we do something. When Christ tells the fishermen to put the net on the other side of the boat, I imagine he saw a school of fishes they did not see. The catch of fish from following instructions made the change worthwhile. Always having been uncomfortable with communion distributors going last to communion, I was glad to hear the instruction asking those communities that had changed to return to the old tradition. Receiving Christ makes sinners worthy to share Christ. Communities that share a common ritual make it possible to feel at home in other communities. It is hard to belong when you feel uncomfortable.

The Christ of the Resurrection is the stranger who comes into our communities. How we make each other welcome and what makes us welcome is the wonder of Liturgy and each other. We are called to welcome the stranger as we would welcome Christ. Our effort to make the strangers comfortable by welcoming the Christ in each of them is what brings growth to a community. What we do together is what gives life to the Community and allows stranger to find a home with us because they are no longer strangers in Christ.