The Seven Appearances of Jesus after the Resurrection: #3 At the Sea Shore
By Fr. Ron Will, CPPS
In this meditation, we will join the Apostles after they have gone back to fishing on the Sea of Galilee, after the death and resurrection of Jesus. You can find the scripture passage here: John 21: 2-14.
When Jesus appears to the Apostles on the seashore, at first they do not recognize him. The resurrection of Jesus is not the same as the resuscitation of Lazarus. It’s the same Jesus, but there is something new and different about the resurrected Jesus.
After his resurrection to life, Lazarus went back to his previous work in his previous relationships with his sisters and neighbors, only to die again at some point. Not so with Jesus.
Similarly, God does not want us to go back to our old style of prayer that we had before Lent. God wants to share something new with us.
Again I invite you to enter into this contemplative prayer by finding a comfortable place to sit. Settle yourself. Relax. Let go of distractions and tensions you many feel. Let of all on your “to-do list” for today.
Take a few deep breaths. Breathe in the new life of spring and Easter. Breathe out any negative thoughts, any anxieties.
And let us begin.
[Fr. Ron Will, a Precious Blood priest and spiritual director, is a graduate of Catholic Theological Union and Creighton University’s School of Christian Spirituality. He has a special interest in helping form intentional disciples of Jesus, encouraging others to go spiritually deep-sea diving to explore a deeper relationship with God, and walking with people as they dive into the ocean of God’s mystery actually experiencing God rather than simply dipping one’s toe into the water.]
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Image above is a detail of a manuscript, Michiel van der Borch, Miraculous Draught of Fish from Rhimebible by Jacob van Maerlant Dutch (Utrecht), 1332 The Hague, Meermano Museum MS RMMW 10 B 21, fol. 151r
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