RECOGNIZING EACH OTHER AT A FISH FRY

The gospels have several accounts of Jesus feeding His disciples with a fish fry that He prepares and serves.  They come to recognize Him within the context of this meal and they are encouraged and nurtured by His presence.  Jesus seemed to intuitively know that when eating together we naturally share with each other and get to know each other.  We may even grow in trust and friendship and support one another in the challenges of conversion and the changes that come with discipleship.  Jesus showed all that to be true as He ate with public sinners like Mary Magdalene and Zacchaeus the tax collector. He reached out to them and they reciprocated with trust and a change of life.  Jesus used the context of a fish fry to reveal Himself to His disciples on the seashore and to serve them and to calm their fears.  He was truly their Lord with them and they discovered they had nothing to fear even of an unknown future.  He would always be with them accompanying them on the journey.  He would always be with them to calm the stormy seas and restore tranquility.

Our recent parish fish fry sponsored by the Dad’s Club was a terrific meal within the context of families sharing, kids having lots of fun and parishioners socializing across generational lines.  Literally it was a banquet that brought members from our whole parish together in community.  I do not think that it is being overly spiritual to call attention to the presence of Jesus during our fish fry.  He was there in the sharing, listening, fun and eating.  His presence made it clear that we engaged in a holy event and one that helped us grow holier.

I think we fed each other both with real food and with the encouragement and support of community.  We can be sure that Jesus was there “in the midst of them” as He promised. A social event like the Fish Fry is a powerful reminder that Saint Joan of Arc is a social and real community as well as one that worships together and reaches out in service together.  Every time we have an event like the Fish Fry, Family Faith and Fun Day, International Festival, Gala Auction or our upcoming Spaghetti Dinner (March 28 after 4:30 Mass) for our International Mission of Friendship, we grow in knowledge and communion together.  As we gather, Jesus who is the source of our identity and our united “Body” will always be present as the greatest gift and blessing for us.

Our Fish Fry on a Friday during Lent is also our way of being in continuity with Christians throughout the centuries who have reverenced Friday as the day of the passion and death of Jesus, Good Friday.  The tradition of abstaining from eating meat on the Fridays of Lent (and in past years on every Friday) throughout the year is a way of reminding ourselves of the early Christian love for the symbol of the fish.  They used the picture of a fish to identify themselves as Christians and it is present as an element of earliest Christian iconography.  The act of abstaining from food for a spiritual reason, also, is a reminder to us of those for whom fasting and abstaining is a daily way of life.  It can serve as a catalyst for our prayers and for our generosity toward the elimination of world hunger.