THE MIRACULOUS FISH

We must rediscover the mystery of fruitfulness
in the epiphany of everyday life and the moment.

F. Mauriac

To accompany us on this III Sunday of Easter we have Jacopo da Bassano (1510-1592), with his Miraculous Fishing (1545). It is a work that is very influenced by Raphael and should be read from right to left. Everything converges on Christ. Note how the figures prevail over the landscape background (Michelangelo influence), in which some critics have glimpsed Bassano del Grappa. John places this episode, unlike Luke, after Easter. Why? The reasons are many. First of all, he wants to make his readers understand how the event of the resurrection transforms all areas of human life. The disciples, in fact, are busy with everyday occupations: fishing in particular, therefore work, subsistence for their families. But that work turns out to be vain, useless. Despite the commitment, the outcome is a failure. But in the night of futility Jesus comes, suddenly appears on the shore, enters into the travail of the life of those seven fishermen. He asks them if they have anything to eat. In Greek we have the term prosphághion, that is, a companion. He does not ask if they have bread but if they have its companion, that is, fish to eat with the bread. We can also understand prosphághion as that something that gives flavour to life, that something more that cheers, that offers joy in living. To achieve this, the disciples must listen to the word of the Master, cast their net on the good side, on the right. In our passage, John makes us pay attention to something important. We see, with surprise, how Simon Peter is still among the followers of Jesus after his betrayal (cf. Jn 18:25) and is among them as a leader, so much so that he takes the initiative to fish. All the others follow him. But following Peter means failing in the enterprise: “That night they caught nothing” (Jn 21:3). Jesus had said: “Without me you can do nothing” (cf. Jn 15:5). He is the one who intervenes, indicating to the expert fishermen, among other things, where to cast their nets. Following Peter, the fishing is fruitless; following Jesus, the fishing turns out to be miraculous, so much so that they could no longer pull up the nets because of the large number of fish. But the surprises are not over: on the shore, the risen Jesus prepares some fish and bread for them and invites them to eat. Here the eyes of the disciples begin to understand, or rather, recognize that the one who is serving them is the same one who washed their feet. Truly, everything must converge on Christ, as Jacopo’s painting shows us. He is the heart of the Christian community, its strength and its beauty.

Commentary by b. Sandro Carotta, osb
Abbazia di Praglia (Italy)

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves,
Prinknash Abbey