As human beings, one of the things we naturally resist is being told what to do. This usually happens when we outgrow our childhood. As teenagers, we thought we knew it all. We thought we figured out life. Life though, has ways of humbling us. It is only when we grow old and have children of our own and desperately try to raise them, that we realize that dad and mom were right after all.  

In the Gospel Peter, who was supposed to be a very skilled fisherman, was told to “cast the net over the right side of the boat.” After a night of futile fishing, it was only natural for Peter to question who was this telling him what to do. With a bountiful catch, he then realized that one of the lessons is that God’s ways are not man’s ways.

Three things about God’s ways.

1. Listen. Why is it that the more man knows, the greater the temptation to remove God from his or her life? We think we know it all until life hits back. The Gospel reminds us to always be humble and listen to God.
   
2. Be Humble. Since God’s ways are not man’s ways, we will always be amazed by the miracles he works in our lives. The apostles recognized Jesus simply because that would not be the first time he did the miracle of the fish. Miracles will not be realized by the proud and arrogant, but by the humble. 
   
3. Be Hopeful. God will never abandon us, but we have to always be hopeful because God’s timing is always different. After a night of zero catches, Jesus knew that the apostles were frustrated and desperate. “What are we going to eat? How are we going to earn?” At God’s perfect time, he performed a miracle.

In each Mass we realize three things:

• God’s ways are mysterious. 
• Things may happen to us that we may not understand. At times, we may even regret.
• The Gospel reminds us, that He will always take care of us. What we have to do is to Listen, be hopeful, and be humble.