Desiring Jesus: Faith and Love in the Encounter


"...One day he had encountered the Master while casting his nets; he had encountered Him in accepting to row back out onto the lake; he had encountered Him on this same boat, doing the same things he was doing now. He now realized that he could do nothing, experience nothing without desiring that Jesus be present with him, in their midst..."

The above quote is from a reflection by Dom Mauro Giuseppe Lepori, O. Cist. It refers to Peter after the Resurrection. In this Gospel account, Peter decides to go fishing, but as Dom Mauro points our earlier in this reflection, it isn't necessarily fish that Peter seeks, but Jesus.
While the entire reflection is beautiful, I chose to concentrate on this one point because I could relate to it on a very deep level. After reading this, I thought about my life before I had really encountered Jesus and now afterward. The now afterward is so much better, so much more meaningful because I have Jesus to share every moment~ the good and the not so good. Without Him, life is harder, less joy~filled, and downright meaningless. Let's face it, the joys and sorrows of life mean more when we have someone we love with whom we can share them.
Since my marriage ended, I have had people say to me that they feel bad that I don't have anyone in my life. In a worldly sense that is true, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't get to me a little every now and then. However, the truth is, I do have Someone to share my life. Jesus is with me in every moment and I don't ever want to be without Him again. So I can relate to how Peter must have felt that night as he rowed out onto the sea of Galilee. He wanted Jesus, his Friend, and Master. He wanted to tell Jesus how sorry he was for denying Him; he wanted to tell Jesus that he loved Him. Jesus knew this and gave Peter that very special opportunity through another encounter. Jesus has done the same for me. I encountered Him in a very real way when I returned to Him, and the same question He asked Peter, He asks me: "Do you love Me?" and just as emphatically as Peter, I respond: Yes, Lord, You know I do. In my response though, I add a little more than Peter and say: "Lord, may it always be so."



Thoughts and Comments welcome at The Front Porch.