Dominus Est!

John 21:7

Dominus Est! It is the Lord! Our theme taken from John 21:7 is one of the most dramatic scene after resurrection of our Lord. Peter probably a bit sleepy and worn out because they had been fishing all night and caught nothing, suddenly was caught off guard and only found out it was Jesus who caused the large number of catch when He said, “Cast down the net.” It is good to note, that when Peter was told that it was the Lord, he right away jumped into the sea to meet Jesus. In the midst of sorrow because their savior was crucified, he was still very much connected to Him.

Doing what they used to do before they were called to be fishers of men, they returned to the sea. Isn’t it frustrating, here you are, already in sorrow because your Lord has just been crucified, fishing all night long and not even a single fish you caught? It might have been tiring, wearisome and frustrating. It was almost daybreak, when suddenly a man out there in the beach said to them, “Cast down the net.” And they did, probably saying, well we have nothing to lose we had been fishing all night and might as well give this a last chance. When they did, they caught large numbers of fish! It was a surprise but for Peter it opened his tired, wearied and frustrated eyes to the miracle and recognized rightly that it can only be Jesus who can do it.

What a faith! What a holy longing for a second chance, knowing that Peter had denied Him 3 times. Here comes an opportunity to correct the wrongs and ask for forgiveness. Imagine, you did something wrong to someone and you were not able to catch a chance to ask for forgiveness because the person passed away already? And then suddenly it turned out that the person is alive after all? Dominus Est experience indeed! For Peter it was beyond the miracle of the catch, it was personal redemption. A second chance to right the wrong! God indeed is a God of not just second chances but of infinite chances.

Isn’t it affirming that after all night long without catch in this life, we are tired, wearied and frustrated, when things seems to be hopeless and without mercy, comes the Lord?

May we like Peter and the disciples, recognize God in our tiredness, weariness and frustrations of life, knowing that it is in these very situations that the Lord comes. The challenge for us is to recognize Him in these circumstances, for indeed what we may think as a catchless night will actually end with a bountiful catch and what we may think as breaking point conditions are actually breakthroughs.

Grant us o Lord the grace to recognize you, in our tiredness, weariness and frustrations in life, for it is in these very situations that You come. Amen.

by aats