April 26, 2019

HAVE  YOU 

CAUGHT  ANYTHING?

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this Friday after Easter is, “Have You Caught Anything?”

Today’s gospel has Jesus asking his disciples, “Have you caught anything?”

They were fishing all night long and they caught nothing.

Jesus tells them to throw their net to the right side of their boat and they catch a great number of fish: 153 to be exact.

At that moment they realize it’s the Lord.

In a way it’s a variation of the story in the early part of the gospels where they fill two boats with fish - thanks to the Lord, Jesus.

A GREAT QUESTION

I think that’s a great story. I think that’s a great question: “Have you caught anything?”

In the gospel  for today, Jesus says, “Let’s have breakfast.”

If Jesus invited you to the Double T Diner  or Eggcellence and asked you, “Have you caught anything?” what would you answer?

Shakespeare in one of his sonnets - Sonnet 2 -  talks about hitting 40. He feels like he’s aging and sagging and wrinkling - and he’s wondering about what he’s done with his life - and he doesn’t know what to say - till he sees his kid running towards him in the yard - and he picks up his kid and says, “This child stands for me.”

If anyone should feel his nets are full, it should be Shakespeare - with his plans and poems.

Sitting there at the diner having breakfast with Jesus would you take out your wallet and show Jesus pictures of your kids.  I think a lot of people would feel even prouder of their grand kids.  If it wasn’t for you they wouldn’t exist.

WHAT STANDS FOR YOU?

What stands for you?

Kids obviously.

Before  I came to Annapolis I worked out of our parish in Lima, Ohio.  Most Thursday evenings - after the last service of a parish mission, we would meet in the church hall or basement with those who made the mission - to socialize.

There was usually the table with 15 women in aprons and faces.  It was before I had diabetes 2 and I would walk the cookie gauntlet.  The rule for smorgasbord was always to survey the whole field before taking a first of anything.  Well I couldn’t eat 15 cookies - on a paper plate - so I had to face the face of someone who didn’t get my vote that her cookies weren’t my first or second of fifth choice.

Before going to sleep that night did 5 of those women thank God for having caught 35 cookie selectors in the church hall that night?  What about those who had no takers.

Life: what have you caught?

Life: whom have you caught?

Life: who has caught you?

Life: has God caught you?

Life: does God want to have breakfast or lunch or what with you?

CONCLUSION

As I was thinking about all this - priests get the thought at times, “I hope someone out there will think, ‘Being a priest is a good way to serve and use the gift of life - especially since most priests in the Western Church don’t have kids.’”

Thinking further about that a good memory hit me. Back in the 1970’s I was giving retreats in San Alfonso Retreat House in New Jersey.  One weekend a guy asked to talk to me about life.  He was around 45 years of age. He had helped raise his sister’s kids with her - after her husband died.

In the conversation he said, “When I was young I got the thought at time to become a priest. Now it’s too late. The kids I helped raise are in college, etc.

I said, “Too late. It’s not too late.”

Then I added, “Do you want me to contact our guy who knows all about this?”

He said, “Great.”

Well was how this wonderful  - 5 by 5 - short chubby guy from Jersey City, New Jersey - with stubby short fingers - former Marine - became a wonderful Redemptorist priest - gave over 20 years of his life as a priest.

Someone gave him the nickname, “Trixie” and it fit him perfectly.

The title of my homily is, “What Have Your Caught?”

Did I catch this guy? No. God did, but I might have supplied the net.