For Pete's sake

The day began today at the Mount of the Beatitudes, where we celebrated an outdoor Mass overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  It's hard to imagine that all the stories (or most of the stories) of Jesus' public ministry took place around this body of water, the only fresh-water source in all of Israel.  They call it a 'sweet-water' sea.

On the Mount of the Beatitudes, we celebrate the Mass proper to the place, so the texts are (yep you guessed it) Matthew's account of the beatitudes, and the setting is perfect for reflecting on our own call to follow in the footsteps of the One who called us to be radical in our approach to preaching love.  Oh, and the Franciscan Sister who met us in the sacristy was so surprised and happy to finally find priests who could speak Italian that she would have given us the moon if it weren't the middle of the day.

Next stop on the tour was a place called Peter's Primacy: an access to the Sea where pilgrims can dip their feet into the water of the Sea and ponder what it must have been like for Jesus to meet his disciples on the shore of the Sea, to speak questions to Peter, who had only a short time before betrayed him three times, and to test him once again about how much the mortal one loved the Imortal one.  It wasn't hard to hear these same words spoken to us as we stood there, with wind on our faces, sunlight streaming, or approaching the rock where Jesus may have offered breakfast for his disciples.

The rock table where this breakfast was offered is called Tabga.  The rock is actually surrouded by a chapel and sitting in that serene silence one can easily picture the warmth and love with which Jesus must have invited his beloved disciples to share one last meal with him.  This tenderness reflects for us each time we hear the same invitation to come, to share a meal in the Eucharist, and then to continue the work that he confided to us.

On a day devoted to the ministry of Jesus, what better lunch offering could there be than to partake in Saint Peter's fish.  Believe it or not, each person who partakes receives a whole talapia, recently bathed in oil and prepared for consumption.  Food at its simple best, complete with a selection of salads ... and no there was no coin to be found in the mouths of the fish (any of them).  Who will pay the tax now?

Having consumed the fish, our next step was to set sail on the lake.  This was a wonderful opportunity, complete with a flag raising ceremony accompanied by strains of the Canadian National Anthem, and then time to reflect on the reality that we were travelling on the same lake that Our Lord once travelled, where he too taught.  The gentle rocking of the boat lulled us all into an apptitude for listening to the word that is still being spoken today.  Would that we could do this more easily, despite the busy-ness of our daily lives; life would probably be a whole lot different.

One last stop to complete the trip around the lake, and that in the city of Caparnum, where Jesus lived and ministered for so many years, where he told so many stories, where he cured so many in need.  This was the city in which Peter lived after Jesus' departure, in the house that once belonged to his mother-in-law.  Even today, the olive press in the public space may be used to process the fruit of the trees that still dot the landscape.  So much has changed since that day, and yet this place still stands still as a constant reminder of the man who came to change the world with words and actions that spoke ... that still speak so profoundly in a world that strans at times to deny him, at other times to resist the temptation to believe that our hearts can and will be changed for the good if only we would allow Him to do the work he came to do.