St. John has a clear ending to the fourth gospel in chapter 20 where he gives a quick summary of the significance of his telling the story of Jesus. Then we get an addendum: chapter 21. It’s almost as if the evangelist thought, Oh, there’s one more great story which will help people come to faith. In the telling, Peter and seven companions return to Galilee. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” After all the excitement of being with Jesus Peter decided to go back to what he knew how to do, fish. But he couldn’t. He was not able to catch any fish until he encountered the Risen Jesus. St. John appends this story to his gospel as a reminder to believers that we can’t go back. Following Jesus is not a hobby, a something thing, but a complete re-orientation of how we work, play, raise our families, use our money, spend our time. Because of Jesus’ Resurrection we are changed forever.
