Third Sunday of Easter

The Breakfast Club

COME, HAVE BREAKFAST

Loving God, we often get stuck. Particularly when we’ve experienced a loss or disappointment, we retreat to old ways to find comfort. Open our hearts and minds to let go of the past that holds us back. Help us grow in trusting that your love moves us forward to experience the new life offered by the Risen Jesus.

Share a time when you stepped outside your comfort zone or approached something in a new way. How did it challenge you, and what unexpected blessings or growth came from it?

April Pruitt (second from right) on a mission immersion trip in El Paso

During a Maryknoll immersion trip to El Paso, Texas, Yale doctoral student, April Pruitt stepped beyond her comfort zone and found herself transformed. Volunteering at a shelter for migrants processed through ICE, she met people who had lost everything, yet carried an unshakable resilience. One evening, she shared a meal with a Haitian family who had endured a treacherous journey across multiple countries. As they exchanged jokes, prayers, and stories, she realized that true community is built not on familiarity, but on shared humanity. Her time at the border challenged her assumptions and expanded her understanding of faith and solidarity. In the faces of those she met, she saw the presence of the risen Christ, not in grand gestures, but in simple moments of connection. Pushed beyond what was familiar, April discovered that stepping into the unknown—like Peter casting his net once more—leads to deeper empathy, unexpected abundance, and a renewed call to walk alongside the marginalized. (Opening My Eyes and Heart to Migration, Maryknoll Magazine, Dec. 4 2023)

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “”I am going fishing.”” They said to him, “”We also will come with you.”” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “”Children, have you caught anything to eat?”” They answered him, “”No.”” So he said to them, “”Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.”” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “”It is the Lord.”” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “”Bring some of the fish you just caught.”” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “”Come, have breakfast.”” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “”Who are you?”” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead. John 21:1-14

Peter was a fisherman before encountering Jesus, so it makes sense that after Jesus died, he returned to what he knew. In times of doubt or loss, we too often revert to what feels safe. After a long night of unproductive fishing, Jesus comes to them at the dawn with a gentle invitation to have breakfast. Jesus reminds them, as he does to us when we face loss or frustration, that our calling is not found in clinging to the past. As missionary disciples, even in our uncertainty, Jesus calls us to move forward beyond hurtful or difficult pasts. Like Peter, we are invited to trust that God’s love will lead us beyond what is familiar to find abundance in new life.

In what ways is the Spirit calling you this week to move beyond the comfort of doing the same old thing and embrace a new challenge to experience God’s love?

This week, step beyond your comfort zone and reflect on how routine may be holding you back, and challenge yourself to embrace something new. Make a bold move—invite a stranger to breakfast, listen to their story, and discover what they feel called to do to make the world a better place. Together, commit to courageously stepping out, taking risks, and being a force for change in the world.

God of surprises, from the worn patterns of our comfortable routines, you invite us to breakfast. As you feed us your love, something grows within us. Flowers bloom in the desert. New horizons emerge. Your song takes root in our hearts. Make us your breakfast people. Make us your missionaries of hope. Feed us so that we can feed others.