The Nazareth Page- A gospel meditation for your home

May 4, 2025 – Third Sunday of Easter, John 21:1-12

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
Download this simple process to Prepare for Sunday using the Observe, Judge, Act Method

It was time for the disciples of Jesus to begin what they were called by God to do. Some had been fishermen, so after they witnessed his death and resurrection, they returned to what they had previously done for a living, fishing.  After having no luck one day, they headed for shore. The risen Jesus appeared to them there and prepared breakfast for them. From the gospel report, at first, they did not recognize him. Maybe that was partly because they were not expecting him. He then told them to leave their nets and embark on a new task, “fishing” for humans.

This incident leads me to think about my own life. After high school I was planning to become a chemist. I applied to a leading university but was not accepted. Soon after that, I decided to enter the seminary. Maybe this was what God wanted of me. If you are thinking that this is like what happened to Jorge Bergoglio, you are correct. He went on to become a Jesuit priest and eventually pope. We are now celebrating his life.

After a few years as a seminarian, I was invited by the seminary leaders to consider another direction. I continued to study theology, earned a doctorate in that subject and went on to be a professor at three different Jesuit universities until retirement. I also married and my wife and I were blessed with a large family. All of this I consider my call or vocation from God. In a sense, the Lord invited me to continue fishing.

And it is my view that we all have these “breakfast on the shoreline” moments. Maybe they happened more than once during our lives. Each and all of us are created by God to serve as disciples. We are invited to fulfil what God’s plan (or perhaps plans) is for each of us. In recent years the Church has underscored the value and the sanctity of multiple vocations, most of them described as “in the world.” (Which is also God’s world.)

We respond to these sacred calls in a variety of social situations and a thousand of different kinds of jobs, social arrangements and settings. What were formerly called secular vocations are now appreciated in the Church as involving settings of holiness and sanctity. Sometimes this is describing a vocation to serve God “in the world.” This does not imply any lesser value to such callings. We are all called to be fulltime followers of Christ. Where and when we do this depends on the specific circumstances of our lives. Like right here where you are and right now today.

David M. Thomas, PhD