The Miraculous Catch of 153

“Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.” - John 21:11

Last month we had the privilege of gathering as a community for our Rescue Project Mission. It was a remarkable moment of renewal for our community as we were overwhelmed by the unexpected and extraordinary news of the Gospel. In fact, it can be best described as a “Pentecost moment,” where we were filled with the Holy Spirit and invited to boldly respond to this Good News by awakening and embracing our apostolic identity, which we received at Baptism.

The retreat was a defining moment in the life of our Cathedral community. I believe that God’s hand was certainly at work. He astounded us in many ways and convicted us to believe that the one who really wanted this retreat to be a success even more than us was God himself.

One remarkable way that God revealed his blessing and favor to us was in the number of participants who attended our retreat.

There were exactly 153 participants! It is significant because that is the same exact number of large fish that Simon Peter brought into his boat, when he was invited by the Risen Lord to cast his net over the right side in the last post-Resurrection appearance before the Ascension. (See John 21:1-14).

The number 153 is strangely precise in the Bible and amazingly coincidental for us.

Does it matter? Honestly, I had read this post-Resurrection account several times, but I never thought about why John was so precise. Then after reflecting upon the coincidence, I realized that a significance indeed had been intended and does have something to teach us today.

St. Jerome, in his own reflection, commented that 153 represents “the 153 known species of fish in the Sea of Galilee and therefore signifies that people of every class and time and generation would be saved through the Gospel.”

I like this position because the ardent proclamation of the Gospel does indeed have the power to overwhelm every single person who hears it.

We had a beautiful diversity of people at our retreat. We had young and old, people of different ethnicities, men and women, married and single, the skeptical and the pious. There was a great catholicity.

It is in this diversity that the Risen Jesus literally walked in and every single person in the room was transformed in an amazing way. The joy was real and palpable.

Perhaps the “miraculous catch of 153 participants” reminds us that the Gospel is for everyone; that Jesus came to rescue every person, no matter what!

Or maybe it just simply means that there are 153 more reasons to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord!