Chapter 78: Of the appearance of Christ to the seven disciples as they were fishing in the Sea of Tiberias

I BLESS You, and give thanks to You, O Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, and Ruler of Heaven and earth, of Angels and of men, of high and low, of rich and poor, of landsmen and of seafarers, for openly showing Yourself to Your seven disciples who were toiling in fishing on the Sea of Tiberias. They were so employed in order that they might be able to procure the necessaries of life, and might be able to give food to the poor and to strangers. Such toil is pleasing to God and to men; it is in accordance with the law of nature, and is favoured by God on account of the many advantages which come from it, and because it prevents idleness and is a profitable use of time.

I praise and honour You, most loving Jesus, Visitor of toilers, and timely Helper of the needy by the gift to them of good counsel, enabling them to earn a livelihood by sea and by land.

I bless You for Your condescension in standing by the seashore watching the toil of Your disciples, working as they did in loving partnership and helping one another, doing everything in due order, and drawing their fishing-nets to land quietly and without quarrelling. Peter, as I suppose, was sitting at the stern, in charge of the helm, as being captain of the boat, and the most experienced fisherman; and as he gave his orders and beckoned to them, the rest worked hard, while James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, who were skilled fishermen (having been instructed in the art by that experienced old man, their father) sat steadily and cautiously at their oars ready to do what was needed in case of a sudden storm; and holy Thomas, that strong and trusty man, was on the alert to draw in the net, along with holy Nathaniel, well versed in the law of God, who stood with his loins girt ready to help in this holy work, and two other disciples, whose names I know not, but haply they were Simon and Jude, Your relations and dear friends.

These men, thus wisely placed, had toiled all night, rowing and hauling the net, working hard till morning; but as yet they had taken nothing. Wherefore thinking their toil useless, they were on the point of ceasing to fish unless God's Providence should otherwise direct.

But this fruitless toil in fishing had been so ordained that when Jesus, their Master and Lord, should come to them and tell them what to do, their joy might be great. It was because Jesus had not been bodily present in the boat during the past night, as formerly He had used to be, that they had caught nothing, or almost nothing, even as He had foretold them: " Without Me you can do nothing."

But on this occasion be not cast down, O beloved disciples; for, if God so wills it, a dull morning often ushers in a bright noon-day. Wait a little, and call upon your loving Lord Christ; and your toil of last night shall be crowned with success. And so it was when Jesus appeared, and said to them: " Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find much, although before I came to you you could catch nothing at all."

I praise and glorify You, O my Jesus, Whose foreknowledge is infinite, for what You did so lovingly say to those poor fishermen, who as yet had no settled means, no Church revenues to depend upon; but in order that they might not be a burden to others by demanding maintenance, and might not by their idleness be a stumbling-block to the weak, were procuring in a lawful manner, by the labours of their hands, the necessaries of life. You did come then, O good Jesus, to the help of Your poor followers in this their time of need, by asking them if they had anything to eat, naming in a friendly way something besides bread: " Children" You saidst, " have you any meat?" They answered: "No." A brief answer was this; but it was enough for the Almighty Lord Who knew all things from all eternity, to Whom all hearts are open, and from Whom no secret is hid, Who knew both what was in the ship and what was swimming in the sea. You had pity then, O good Jesus, on their poor estate, just as formerly You had pity upon the multitude which in the wilderness had nothing to eat; and You gave, without delay, by a single word, to those Who obeyed You, advice and help. When, therefore, putting in good faith their hope in God and not in their own skill, they let down the net on the right side of the ship, in accordance with the command of the Lord as He stood on the seashore, without their having to use their oars, He helped them by His words more than all else besides. For lo, when Jesus helped them, their net was filled with such a multitude of fish that they could not drag it to land. So vastly do the gifts of God exceed the power of men.

On seeing this so great miracle, the disciple whom Jesus loved says to his partners, and specially to Peter, " It is the Lord." On hearing this Peter rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and his heart was on fire with such intense love that, leaving the rest in the ship, and thinking of nothing else, he leaped at once into the water, and girding up his coat, hastened to Jesus his Lord, Whom, Blessed for evermore, he loved above every other holy name.

With what reverence and confidence did he draw near and kneel in the water at Your Feet, O Lord Jesus, adoring and worshipping Your Face, more brilliant than the sun, ever looked upon by the holy Angels, the sight of Which was now for a brief season granted to him and to his companions for their consolation, but is utterly denied to the great ones of the earth and to the rich in this world's goods, and to those devoted to the pleasures of the table.

O loving and most sweet Jesus, turn not away Your face from me, no matter where I may be, or in what work engaged. Come and stand by my side when I am singing, or reading, or meditating, or writing, or studying. Remember me for good; and when any trial comes suddenly upon me give me a heart full of patience: give me grace to bless You always with my lips, and to bear all things patiently for love of You and for Your honour. Come to me at night when the bell rings for Matins, so that I may rise at once to join my brethren in chanting the psalms, and may help them, after the pattern of those Apostles who helped one another in fishing, and toiled all the night till the day dawned and You came with Your blessing; for at Your coming and blessing their toil, their net was filled with a multitude of large fish.

Vouchsafe, I pray You, O Lord, in like manner to fill me, by Your preventing and following grace, with so great a sweetness of inward devotion, that at the time of prayer many long psalms may be more delightful to me than plenty of great fish would be to a hungry man:[5] for refreshment of the mind is a greater thing than that of the body. The spirit gives new life to, the flesh weighs down, the man; the spirit purifies and gladdens him; the flesh defiles and saddens him. The spirit submits itself to, and obeys, God; the flesh often resists and is harmful: for the soul is better than the body; the living spirit is more worthy than the flesh that must so soon decay. The world is sweet; but God, Who is the Maker and the Ruler of all things, is sweeter than all else, and more highly exalted.

Everywhere and always blessed be You, O Lord Jesus Christ, my God, Who alone work great wonders in the sea and on the land; for with Your chosen friends You do not disdain to eat and to sit down to meat; You prepare for them a sacred and spiritual banquet in hymns and psalms which are sweeter than all earthly food and the most exquisite of wines. Amen.