Campus Ministry

“Simon Peter said, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will also come with you.’” (John 21:3)

The disciples were certainly troubled by the recent events, Jesus’ crucifixion, the empty tomb, and the danger they were all in for being his followers. What are our options when we are faced with loss, with change, with fear, or with doubt?

We can become bitter, and let our anger spill out into our relationships as a toxic poison. We can become paralyzed, and find ourselves in a trap of indecision. We can become heartbroken, and fill ourselves with pity and confusion.

And no one can be blamed for choosing one or all of these options. But we can’t live in any of them for long, because they will kill the spirit and silence the heart.

So somehow we need to stand up, gather our nets, and enter the ”new normal” that we live in after times of grief or uncertainty. We need to go fishing.

With any luck (i.e. blessing and mercy), we will have others who will join us on the journey. And, like the disciples, we will find the Lord waiting for us on the new shore.

As we grow closer to the end of the academic year, may we listen for the Lord’s call to move forward in hope and in expectation, regardless of any change or loss we may have suffered. Let’s go fishing together, and be nourished by Jesus himself. 

-Mary Cummins Wlodarski