Christ is risen, alleluia! Christ is truly risen, alleluia!

INTRO:
Hi. I’m Fr. Lou DelFra,
Director of Pastoral Life for the Alliance for Catholic Education
at the University of Notre Dame.

Welcome to Grace Period,
a weekly series of audio reflections designed for you…

to help you pause,
in the midst of the stresses of these days,
listen for God’s voice in your lives,
and begin anew.

___

We began the journey of Grace Period on Noah’s ark,
Weathering the first global pandemic, the destructive waters of the Great Flood.
We continued the journey on the waters of Galilee,
Where our travels were beset by sudden squalls, that threatened to swamp our boat.
And last week, Holy Week, we walked the great storm of Jesus’ Way of the Cross.

In each of these journeys, we discerned how God provided, not easy solutions or magic cure-alls,
But rather gifted us with the virtue of hope,
In the form of Noah’s dove,
or an outstretched arm to Peter,
Or the gifts of friendship, and mutual care, and especially the gift of the Eucharist,
To strengthen us, with hope, to pass through the trials of life.

It’s important to note: though each of these stories ended in peace, it’s a curious peace:
New life emerging, but to an uncertain future.
Noah’s ark strikes land on the peak of Mount Ararat, but now what?
Peter and the disciples feel the storm grow still, reach the other side of the Sea,
Only to find more people waiting in need there, and feeling unsure of their ability to meet those needs.
And Jesus’ journey ends in the quiet of a garden tomb – his disciples now out of the immediacy of harm’s way, but with no clear idea of where to go next.

We too find ourselves, as this pandemic lets out its final gasps, entering a newfound, but still uncertain, peace,
Opening towards, in some ways, a quite uncertain future.
What’s changed, as the storm subsides?

In John’s Gospel, when we rejoin the disciples after Jesus’ death,
We find them, fittingly – given the uncertainty of their future – back on the water, back on the Sea of Galilee.
The major storm of their crisis – Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion – has passed, only to be replaced by more ordinary problems.
They’re fishing again, back to their “normal” occupations and lives.

Their problem now isn’t some major crisis; rather … they can’t catch any fish!
So, unfortunately, it seems like the ordinary labors of our lives – including classroom management, lesson planning, and yes, even grading – are here to stay, post-pandemic….

But something’s different … suddenly, in the midst of these daily labors, a figure appears on the shoreline,
And he’s calling to them – “cast your net on the other side!”
Something about the voice – its trustworthiness, its gentle boldness, a hint of familiarity – lands.
They cast their nets … and haul in the great catch!
And Peter – who has walked the storm on this very sea and lived to tell about it – knows immediately:
The one who is greater than the storms has returned, this time for good!

And, for the first time in all these Bible stories of storms on the water,
Peter, no longer afraid of the waters, plunges into the sea –
To be closer to Christ.

Peter has learned a great lesson:
The storms of life are NOT greater than us, when Christ is in our lives.
The squalls of the sea CAN be navigated, when Christ is in our lives.
Even more, these deadly waters, the trials of life, can actually serve to bring us closer to our God.

“It is the Lord!” they cried, when their nets filled with fish – and, think for a moment how terrifying these very waters had once been, in the midst of the storm –
“And Peter wrapped his outer garment around himself, for he was lightly clad, and JUMPED into the sea!”
Do we see what has happened – fear has been conquered!

These waters, which disrupted our lives, which threatened our lives, which were the cause of so much fear – Christ has passed through them, and stands firmly now on the shore.
He calls to us, still out on the waters of our lives, directing us in ever new ways.
Our hearts quiver with a newfound strength when we hear his voice,
even as it asks us to stretch out in new or unanticipated ways. For fear holds us no more.
And we swim, joyfully, eagerly, delightedly, in the very waters, this very life, that once held us captive in fear.

How? How? The Gospel’s answer is so simple, yet it is our life journey’s greatest discovery:
Christ is risen, alleluia! Christ is truly risen, alleluia!

OUTRO:
Thank you for walking this journey of grace with us over these past weeks. May our Risen Lord who has conquered the storm fill us with hope as we guide our boats to shore.