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A sea story of nets and sheep
One of the sacred sites on the shores of Galilee is a modest spot tucked away in a grove of trees near Capernaum. It is the place where tradition has it that Jesus breakfasted with his disciples and gave Peter - and them - the simple directive to "fee d my sheep." As you can see, the shore is rough, rocky. On stormy days, the waves pound the beach, mercilessly grinding big stones into smaller ones while giving up flotsam and jetsam they had picked up along the way.
As in life, storms come up quickly on the Sea of Galilee (Sea of Tiberias in today's reading). If the crew doesn't pay attention or doesn't respond quickly enough things can get really ugly really fast. Being in a small boat out on any body of water, especially a large one, means you have to pay attention. Your life depends on it.
Today, as they did 2,000 years ago, men still go out in small boats and casts their  nets hoping to fill them.
"Cast the net to the right side of the boat," Jesus told the men in this week's gospel reading (John 21:1-19).
I pause a bit to think of all the times I've cast my net on what turned out to be the "wrong" side of my boat, doing things my way and pulling up a net full of pain and sorrow. But, I thought it was the "right" side, I thought that was the "right" thing to do . . . "what went wrong?" I ask myself. And, I pause to recall the times in life when I've not been so attentive and gotten hit by a big wave that has threatened to pound me into the surf.
"Cast the net to the right side of the boat," says Jesus. Well, which is the right side, I wonder. Did Jesus mean the starboard side, the side with the green running light? I look in the photo of the men in the boat. Two face toward the stern (back), one faces forward. The two have a different "right side" from the man in the red shirt. Which "right side" is the right side? Do we only find out after the fact if we've cast our nets on the right side? Do we have to wait to see if the nets fill to know?
I glance over to the bookshelf wondering if I can quickly lay my hands on spiritual discernment when Ignatius catches my attention. Now, there's a discerner for you! In addition to developing the Exercises and Daily Examen, Ignatius devised an intriguing mechanism for discerning God's will and what God might be calling one to do. Others suggest prayer or fasting or hanging out in a cave or on a promontory where one might tune in to what God's got in mind.
No matter what method one might use, the call is to  listen. Listen and you will know what side of the boat to cast the net. Listen and you will know what God has in mind for you. Listen and the noise of the self will be of no consequence.
We can see that in the latter part of the gospel reading, the part where Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" "Yes," says Peter. They go through the series three times and, although some folks make a big deal about the differences in each question-response-directive, the message if clear - care for others, serve those who Jesus served, love others and do for them what we'd have them do for us . . . In the end, Jesus made it simple - "follow me."
For me, today, it means that casting my net on the right side comes from following Jesus in the service of others, opening myself to the ways in which God might transform me through my service to others.
So it has been for all of us in our service through Our House. Witnessing lives transformed has been transforming. As Wayne Birch said the other day, "Working here, I've met such great people . . . they're a gift . . . it touches me deeply."
If I may mix metaphors, casting one's net on the right side of the boat means that both the sheep and the shepherd are fed.
I hope that you'll join us on the journey.
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