3rd Easter - Walking forward with God

Ever long for simpler days? When Life gets confusing, seemingly difficult, hard to figure out? Ahh, why can’t we go to simpler times, when everything made sense and we thought we had it easier.  Of course, it means looking back with a bias, forgetting that maybe back in the day, it wasn’t so fine. We just conveniently forgot all the unfortunate stuff.

Adulting can be difficult.  We have responsibilities and duties; many have those little ones that insist on being fed, clothed, taken to various events, want clean sheets, tucked in. We have doctor appointments, aging parents, friends whom we want to spend time with, priests making demands of time and money….. Parishioners making demands of time and money. Bosses and employees, groceries, cleaning, bills, repairs, chores…CALGON take me away!!!!!!     

Add to the mix, we don’t always get life correct. We make mistakes. None of us like this, and for some, getting past mistakes can be really difficult. We feel so much pressure to be correct, to do it perfectly, and when we think we don’t, accepting forgiveness does not come easy. We will even self punish ourselves.

What does it all mean?  How can we get re-centered onto the truly important matters of life?  How can we get re-booted and start forward, again?

Peter messed up in the gospels. Peter, even though the chosen one, made mistakes. And the biggest was this denial that he knew Jesus when Jesus was arrested. Three times he said “I do not know the man!”  Imagine how confused Peter must have been after the resurrection. His teacher, his friend, was alive in a completely new way. He did not know what to think of this, nor what it meant. Jesus comes back and says “Peace be with you.” He brings reconciliation and forgiveness. Peter heard this, we wonder if Peter accepted it?  What does Peter do? He returns back to simpler days when he was a fisherman for fish, not people. When he maybe felt he had a little more control. And just as in the days past, Peter does not have much luck. That is until Jesus comes, again, and sets things right.

Notice what Jesus does. He makes him remember all that he did and reminds Peter that his real task is not about fishing for fish, but for making disciples, for helping to build up the kingdom here on earth.  Jesus then cooks for him, offers him a meal. And in that intimate moment, gives to Peter what he truly needs; that personal level of forgiveness. Not just for Peter’s sake, but for the larger sake of the world.

It is a Eucharistic minute.  

The Promise of Jesus, of God, is that God walks with us always. Guiding us in our lives. Not helping us to avoid the confusion, the hard parts, but promising that we do not have to let those hard parts define us nor control us. We can move forward. Maybe not the way we have wanted, but certainly in the way we need. The promise of Jesus is that when we do mess up, big things or in small ways, God will forgive.

How many times in our lives, when we thought there can be no way out, and we took it to prayer and we waited, we gained an insight, we saw a way through.  We join with Peter in that very moment.

God feeds us as Catholics each and every eucharist.  God feeds us the forgiveness we need when we ask for it.  God reminds us that God has always walked with people, even when they were not aware, or when they resisted.  God reminds us that we are invited to the fullness of life, and that God will be with us always, and that empowers us to live and move forward.

That is simply amazing. It is not based on anything we do. We don’t earn this. Nor do we ever lose it. God gives it freely.  

Will we accept it?  And more importantly, will we continue to walk forward into life, and embrace it?