Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." – John 21:10

 Today's Scripture Reading (January 11, 2021): John 21

In "Civilization and its Discontents," Sigmund Freud said that "most people do not really want freedom because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility." Or maybe we are just too lazy to be responsible or to be free. We live in a world that seems to be willing to give up freedom to avoid responsibility.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the forced mask mandate and many other well-questioned or protested laws might be an excellent example of this avoidance of responsibility. Here is the truth. No, we should not have mask mandates in our society. They should be unnecessary because we take our commitment to our community and each other seriously, which in the presence of any airborne disease, means that we are cautious about the air that we share. Here is my truth, and it is a hard one. I do not wear a mask to protect me: I wear a mask because I see God in you. You are valuable, and it is important to me to protect you from the places where I have been, even if that protection comes in the form of an uncomfortable mask. It was a reality that came to me very early on in the pandemic. In March 2020, just as the pandemic was becoming a reality, I decided to meet with a homeless man in a McDonald's restaurant. With the impending pandemic, it was a risky thing to do. But it was my risk. You shouldn't be forced to share that risk just because we happen to come together. My responsibility to you is directly connected with my freedom. And in a world where we understand that responsibility, a lot of our laws are actually unnecessary. Legislators often draw up regulations to attempt to force us to be responsible

The disciples decided to go fishing. There is no indication that this was an economic necessity; it seems to have been a decision made almost out of boredom. They were tired of waiting. And, sometimes, when men get bored, they go fishing. But it was also likely the responsible thing to do. They were healthy fishermen who knew how to fish and who could add to the food supply of the society by doing the job they worked at before they joined with Jesus. On this occasion, as had been true before, there wasn't any fish to be caught. And then Jesus showed up, the fishing nets were full, and the disciples rushed to the side of their Rabbi.

As they reach the shore, they go to Jesus, where a fire is burning, and food is cooking. And Jesus asks them to bring over some of the fish that they had just caught. What is important to note is that Jesus already had fish on the fire. He didn't really need the fish that were in the possession of his disciples. But he invited them into the process, allowing them to add to what Jesus had already on the fire. Jesus wanted them to feel that they were an integral part of the meal and teach them that they did have a responsibility to share what they had with the community. An invitation to responsibility.

Jesus invites us to come to him but to bring with us what it is that we have to share with the community. It is our responsible thing to do.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Acts 1