The joy of living

The spirit of the Church, from Easter on, is joy. God meant our life to be a gift — a beautiful gift; an adventure — a joyous adventure. He meant every day to be filled with the beauty of God.

God is Life. And he is sharing that Life with us. Our Lord said that, loud and clear: "I have come that you may have Life, and have it more abundantly" — the fullness of life. "I have come that my Joy might be in you, and that your Joy would be complete." He meant us to have a deep peace of soul, loving the world that God has given us, filled with the joy of living.

This was beautifully illustrated in one of the events that took place after Our Lord had risen from the dead. Seven of the Apostles were together: Simon Peter, Thomas the twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, and two others. Simon Peter said to them: "I am going fishing." The other six said: "We will come with you."

As dawn was breaking, they saw a figure standing on the shore, in the mist. He called out: "Did you catch anything?" They answered:

"No." The figure on the shore said: "Cast the net on the right side of the boat." They did this, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, said "It is the Lord!"

When Peter heard this, he dove into the sea and swam to Our Lord. On Holy Thursday Peter denied Our Lord three times, before a serving maid. When Christ was led from the house of Annas to the house of Caiphas, he turned and looked on Peter. Touched to the soul, Peter left the courtyard and wept bitterly. But he was so sure of the mercy, the forgiveness, the love of God that on this morning he dove into the sea and swam to him.

When he reached the shore, Our Lord had built a little charcoal fire on a rock. On the fire were fish and bread. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net with the fish. Jesus said to them: "Bring some of the fish you just caught." Peter dragged the net ashore. it was filled with large fish — 153 of them! But even though they were so many, the net was not torn.

Our Lord said to them: "Come, have breakfast" and he served the apostles with the bread and the fish.

The last time we saw the Apostles together, in the Gospel story, "all of them, leaving him, fled away." And here was Our Lord serving them. They were sitting on the shore, eight good friends, having breakfast together, watching the sun rise out of the sea.

I made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and I said Mass on that rock. Never before, or after, all through the years, was I so conscious of the presence of God.

I was standing on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias — the Sea of Galilee — in the early morning. It was everything about that scene — everything! It started with the sky. It was one beautiful deep blue dome, arching over us. Not one cloud. Not a whisper of a cloud.

And then the sea — the quiet water, lapping on the shore. There was something about that sea. When you look at it, you feel that it is sacred. . . . . . And the rock, where Our Lord built the charcoal fire, and roasted the fish. The rock was my altar. And I was standing on the sand, where Our Lord stood, when he was making breakfast for the apostles.

I felt, somehow, that God was in the deep blue sky; God was in the quiet, lapping water; God was in the rock. And he was in my hands, in the Host that I consecrated. He was in the mind and heart and soul of every pilgrim on that pilgrimage.

And, suddenly, all the world was at peace!. . . . . . I was at peace.

Then I realized what the Church had been telling me for years — that God meant our life to be an adventure — a joyous journey through this beautiful world which he has given us. He meant us to be filled with a deep peace, love, and the joy of living. He meant our life to be mixed with pain, of course, but always brightened by the confidant expectation of coming to that land where eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the mind of man to conceive the joy that God has prepared for those who love him.