FEBRUARY 10,2013 : FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 75

Reading 1 Is 6:1-2a, 3-8

In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above.

They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.

Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.

He touched my mouth with it, and said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

R. (1c) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth;
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD:
“Great is the glory of the LORD.”
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

Reading 2 1 Cor 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,
of the gospel I preached to you,
which you indeed received and in which you also stand.
Through it you are also being saved,
if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,
unless you believed in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, Christ appeared to more
than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one born abnormally,
he appeared to me.
For I am the least of the apostles,
not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective.
Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;
not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.

or

Brothers and sisters,
I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:
that Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he was buried;
that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more
than five hundred brothers at once,
most of whom are still living,
though some have fallen asleep.
After that he appeared to James,
then to all the apostles.
Last of all, as to one abnormally born,
he appeared to me.
Therefore, whether it be I or they,
so we preach and so you believed.

Gospel Lk 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening
to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

www.usccb.org

Scripture Study

February 10, 2013 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the readings on this Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Isaiah acknowledges that he is a man of unclean lips. Yet God's purifying glory appears to him in the temple and sends him on a mission. Paul, once the persecutor of Christians, now risks his life to pass on the essentials of the faith. Simon recognizes himself as a sinful man but nevertheless he responds to God's call to be a follower of Jesus. These readings challenge us to examine the excuses we find for hanging back, and failing to follow the Lord. All three of these men were imperfect and sinful yet each followed God's call without reserve. They each gave themselves to God. How can we do less?

NOTES on First Reading:

* 6:1 By the Temple may be meant the holy place, just in front of the holy of Holies. King Uzziah died in 742 B.C.

* 6:2 Seraphim means literally "the burning ones," and are celestial beings who surround the throne of God. The six wings and the functions of the wings are symbolic. They veil their faces with two wings out of reverence for the divine majesty. "Feet" is a euphemism for sexual parts. They veil their "feet" out of modesty. They extend two wings in preparation for flight out of zeal to serve God instantly.

* 6:3 The exclamation, "Holy, holy, holy" is made in recognition of God's perfect interior holiness which is seen in His glory. Moral perfection is included in the attribute of holiness but it includes much more than that. For Isaiah, God's holiness meant especially that He was transcendent and altogether "other" than anything in creation.

* 6:4 The smoke here is an echo of the clouds which surrounded God at Mount Sinai; See Exodus 19:16-19 and Deut 4:11,12.

* 6:5 It was popularly believed by the ancients that seeing God would lead to one's death; See Genesis 32:31, Exodus 33:20, and Jdgs 13:22.

* 6:7 Isaiah is symbolically purified to be worthy of his vocation as God's prophet by the ember taken from the heavenly altar. By purifying the symbolic sin of his lips the entire man is cleansed. This is a common Biblical occurrence where the whole person is designated under a particular aspect of his being.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 15:1-58 Some consider this chapter an earlier Pauline composition inserted into the present letter. The problem that Paul treats here is that some of the Corinthians denied the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12), most likely because they could not imagine how any kind of bodily existence could be possible after death (1 Cor 15:35). Their attitude may have stemmed from a combination of Greek anthropology, which looked with contempt upon matter and would be content with the survival of the soul, and an over realized eschatology of Gnostic flavor, such as that reflected in 2 Tim 2:18, which considered the resurrection a purely spiritual experience already achieved in baptism and in the forgiveness of sins. Paul, however, affirmed both the corporeality of the resurrection and its futurity. This response is phased in three steps: Recalling of the basic kerygma about Jesus' resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-11), Asserting of the logical inconsistencies involved in denial of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12-34), and Considering theologically what the properties of the resurrected body must be (1 Cor 15:35-58). Only the first of these is included in today's reading.

*15:1-11 Paul states the tradition (1 Cor 15:3-7), which he presupposes as common ground and which provides a starting point for his argument. This is the fundamental content of all Christian preaching and belief (1 Cor 15:1-2,11).

*15:3-7 In the beginning of verse 3 Paul used the same formula that a rabbi would have used in passing on traditional material that he had been taught. This language indicates that Paul considers that this essence of the "gospel " (1 Cor 15:1) is not his own but is drawn from older creedal formulas that he had been taught. This earliest of recorded creeds highlights Jesus' death for our sins (confirmed by his burial) and Jesus' resurrection (confirmed by his appearances). The phrase, "in accordance with the scriptures " indicates conformity of Jesus' passion and resurrection with the scriptures and presents both of them as fulfillment of prophecy. This is also asserted in Matthew 16:1; Luke 24:25-27,32,44-46. The application of some Old Testament texts (Psalm 2:7; 16:8-11) to His resurrection is a very early Christian practice illustrated by Acts 2:27-31; 13:29-39. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and Hosea 6:2 may also have been in the minds of the community.

* 15:4-5 Paul inserted the triple kai hoti, "and that " into the older creed he had been taught. This creed was already probably a central part of the still young Christian tradition.

* 15:5 One of the early understandings of the role of the apostles was that they were to be witnesses of the resurrection. The traditional material seems to have singled out Peter (Kephas) for a separate appearance from the earliest days. It is alluded to here, and in Luke 24:34, but that appearance is never explicitly described in the scriptures. This verse is the last part of the traditional creed received by Paul.

* 15:6 Here Paul adds to the creed that had been handed on to him. The point of the addition in verse 6 may be to show that many witnesses were still alive and could be questioned.

* 15:7 Here Paul adds another traditional fragment to help make a transition from the apostles through James and the other witnesses who like himself had not been disciples of Jesus before the resurrection to his own experience.

* 15:9-11 A persecutor may have appeared disqualified from apostleship to human eyes, but in fact God's grace has qualified him. See the remarks in 2 Cor about his qualifications (2 Cor 2:16; 3:5) and his greater labors (2 Cor 11:23). These verses are parenthetical, but a nerve has been touched (the references to his abnormal birth and his activity as a persecutor may echo taunts from Paul's opponents), and he is instinctively moved to self-defense.

*15:11 Paul here appeals to the universal teaching of all the apostles. He reminds the Corinthians that the whole church believes this same gospel of resurrection.

NOTES on Gospel:

* 5:1-11 Luke has transposed this incident from his source, Mark 1:16-20, which places it immediately after Jesus makes his appearance in Galilee. By moving it to this position Luke uses this example of Simon's acceptance of Jesus to counter the earlier rejection of him by his home town people, and since several incidents dealing with Jesus' power and authority have already been narrated, Luke creates a plausible context for the acceptance of Jesus by Simon and his partners. There is similarity between the wondrous catch of fish reported here (Luke 4:4-9) and the post-resurrectional appearance of Jesus in John 21:1-11 as many commentators have noted. Some traces in Luke's story such as Luke 4:8 where Simon addresses Jesus as Lord which is a post-resurrectional title for Jesus and he recognizes himself as a sinner (an appropriate recognition for one who has denied knowing Jesus--Luke 22:54-62) may indicate that the post-resurrectional context is the original one. As Luke uses it, the incident looks forward to Peter's leadership in the combined story of Luke--Acts (Luke 6:14; 9:20; 22:31-32; 24:34;Acts 1:15;2:14-40; 10:11-18; 15:7-12) and symbolizes the future success of Peter as a fisher of men (Acts 2:41).

* 5:1 The term,"the word of God " is used 14 times in Acts (also written by Luke) and generally refers to the Christian message. By using the same term for Jesus' own preaching Luke establishes the roots of the later preaching of the apostles in the ministry of Jesus himself. This sense of continuity was very important to the early Church.

* 5:3 Peter is called Simon by Luke until 6:14 when he begins to call him Peter.

* 5:10 Fishing as a symbol had a rich background in antiquity. Those familiar with Greco-Roman traditions would have recognized a particular aspect of the peculiar Greek verb used here (zogron) which carries the image often used by teachers of luring students to themselves and through their education of them transformed their lives. The analogy is that Peter will be catching men and women with the bait of God's word and thereby bringing them to new life.

* 5:11 In Mark 1:16-20 and Matthew 4:18-22 the fishermen who follow Jesus leave their nets and their father; in Luke, they leave everything (see also Luke 5:28; 12:33; 14:33; 18:22). One of Luke's major themes is complete detachment from material possessions. Luke sees acceptance of the Lord as an all or nothing proposition.

www.st-raymond-dublin.org

Meditation:Catching people for God's kingdom

Why did Jesus perform the miracle of the great catch of fish? No doubt the great crowd of people who had pressed upon Jesus had something to do with this miracle. They were very hungry for God and were eager to hear his word. Jesus wanted to use this occasion to teach his disciples an important lesson.  Although Simon was wearied from a night of fruitless toil, he nonetheless pressed upon Jesus for his word of command: At your word I will let down the nets. When you meet disappointment and failure, do you press upon the Lord, like Simon, to hear his word and to receive his command?

This incident tells us an important truth about how God works in and through us for his glory. God expects of us greater things than we can do by ourselves. When we cooperate in his works, we accomplish far beyond what we can do on our own.  Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-four, wrote to a friend: "Jesus has so incomprehensible a love for us that he wills that we have a share with him in the salvation of souls. He wills to do nothing without us. The Creator of the universe awaits the prayer of a poor little soul to save other souls redeemed like it at the price of all his Blood." When God's word is spoken his kingdom is revealed and his power is released. When people respond to God's word with faith and obedience they are changed and made "a new creation" in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God chooses ordinary people, like you and me, as his ambassadors and he uses the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives and work situations to draw others into his kingdom.

Jesus speaks the same message to us today: we will "catch people" for the kingdom of God if we allow the light of Jesus Christ to shine through us. God wants others to see the light of Christ in us in the way we live, speak, and witness the joy of the gospel. Paul the Apostle says, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ Jesus always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing" (2 Corinthians 2:15). Do you witness to those around you the joy of the gospel and do you pray for your neighbors, co-workers, and relatives that they may come to know the Lord Jesus Christ and grow in the knowledge of his love?

"Lord Jesus, fill my heart with love and compassion for those who do not know you or follow you. May I be a good witness of your truth and salvation to my family, friends, and co-workers."

www.dailyscripture.net

Teaching the Thickheaded

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 5:1-11 While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for revealing your tender, merciful, Sacred Heart to us. Your Heart gives me the confidence to turn back to you as many times as I fall. I know that I hurt you the most when I neglect to trust in your infinite love for me. And so now in this meditation, good and kind Jesus, I intend to rest in your love. Petition: Lord, give me faith so I can be a docile instrument in your great work of saving souls. 1. Jesus Sees Our Hearts: In today’s Gospel we see Our Lord presented as a wonderful teacher of souls. First, Christ is a teacher to the multitude whose hearts were opened to his teaching by his marvelous miracles. He is also more subtly presented as a teacher to Saint Peter, whom he would later choose to lead his Church. His first lesson to Peter, besides the one Peter hears Jesus preach from his boat, is the very personal message of his worth in Christ’s eyes. Jesus provides a miracle just for Peter—not to heal him of some infirmity, but to demonstrate Christ’s overflowing love for him. He speaks loudly through his action of the miraculous catch. Whether through want or abundance, health or infirmity, am I able to discern Our Lord’s lessons for me in my life? Am I open to his lessons of love? 2. From the Depths of Our Faith: Our Lord implemented a deeper lesson plan with Peter in order to prepare him for his great mission of being the first pope. Peter would need to move to a more supernatural level if Christ were to entrust him with the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Testing his generosity, Christ commandeered Peter’s boat in order to teach the crowds gathered at the shore. Then Jesus led Peter to make an act of faith: he asked him to set out into the deep and drop his nets at a time when it didn’t appear opportune to fish. If Peter were to answer the supernatural call to be a fisher of men, he would have to depend on Our Lord’s working of miracles. Only by the grace of Christ is God able to redeem what humanly seems unsalvageable. 3. A Lesson of Mercy: Mercy is God’s divine method of teaching: by showing mercy to sinners, Christ teaches us important lessons. Peter’s intentions are discovered and revealed in his confession at the shore. Peter confesses his lack of faith despite his “obedience” to Our Lord’s command to cast out into the deep. Our Lord taught Peter a great lesson when he blessed Peter’s feeble and meager faith with a contrastingly abundant catch of fish. Does my faith in God show in my actions? Am I willing to respond generously in the work of the New Evangelization? Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me with the grace of your mercy to accept  what seems unfeasible in human terms. Help me to accept your call for me to work in establishing a civilization of love in today’s world. Help me Lord, to be always faithful to your friendship, sincere in my faith, and diligent in service to you and my neighbors in need. Resolution: Today I will pray and make a sacrifice to Our Lord so that he sends generous and holy vocations to the Church, especially where she needs them the most.

www.regnumchristi.com

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
LUKE 5:1-11
(Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11)
KEY VERSE: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people" (v 10).
READING: Only Luke calls the Sea of Galilee by the name of the plain of Gennesaret located on the northwest shore of the lake. It was the setting for many of Jesus' manifestations as the Messiah. When the crowds pressed in on him in great numbers, Jesus was forced to get into a boat belonging to Simon Peter, and after pushing off from the shore, he continued to preach the "word of God" (Lk 5:1, see Jn 1:14). Afterwards, Jesus told the fishermen to put out into the deep waters and be prepared for a great catch of fish. Peter protested that they had fished all night (the usual time for fishing) and caught nothing. Yet, obediently, Peter lowered his nets. The haul was so great that the nets were in danger of breaking. The boats were on the verge of sinking, so the fishermen called others to help them. James and John (Peter's fishing partners) were overwhelmed by the miraculous catch of fish. Peter confessed his own sinfulness, and Jesus explained the purpose of the miracle as signifying the future mission of his disciples as fishers of souls. When they brought their boats ashore, the disciples left everything behind and followed Jesus.
REFLECTING: How does this passage relate to my own ministry as a follower of Jesus?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to trust you when I am in "deep water."

www.daily-word-of-life.com

In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, O Lord

‘Happy are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.’
We may wonder at the phrase ‘poor in spirit’. Does it mean depressed, downtrodden, crushed in spirits? No. It means those people who have a firm trust in God; those who believe that whatever trials and vicissitudes befall them, God is in there somewhere. This entrenched faith and trust in God does not come with a short prayer, but gradually strengthens over years of prayer and trust in his love.

A famous speaker, renowned all over Europe for his eloquence, came to a city cathedral to preach. There was great expectation as he climbed up to the pulpit. His sermon was simple: ‘My brothers and sisters, never lose faith in God. Never lose faith in God.’ He then descended. The congregation pondered his words, and many took them to heart.

www.churchresources.info

February 10
St. Scholastica
(480-542?)

Twins often share the same interests and ideas with an equal intensity. Therefore, it is no surprise that Scholastica and her twin brother, Benedict (July 11), established religious communities within a few miles from each other.

Born in 480 of wealthy parents, Scholastica and Benedict were brought up together until he left central Italy for Rome to continue his studies.

Little is known of Scholastica’s early life. She founded a religious community for women near Monte Cassino at Plombariola, five miles from where her brother governed a monastery.

The twins visited each other once a year in a farmhouse because Scholastica was not permitted inside the monastery. They spent these times discussing spiritual matters.

According to the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, the brother and sister spent their last day together in prayer and conversation. Scholastica sensed her death was close at hand and she begged Benedict to stay with her until the next day.

He refused her request because he did not want to spend a night outside the monastery, thus breaking his own Rule. Scholastica asked God to let her brother remain and a severe thunderstorm broke out, preventing Benedict and his monks from returning to the abbey.

Benedict cried out, “God forgive you, Sister. What have you done?” Scholastica replied, “I asked a favor of you and you refused. I asked it of God and he granted it.”

Brother and sister parted the next morning after their long discussion. Three days later, Benedict was praying in his monastery and saw the soul of his sister rising heavenward in the form of a white dove. Benedict then announced the death of his sister to the monks and later buried her in the tomb he had prepared for himself.

Comment:

Scholastica and Benedict gave themselves totally to God and gave top priority to deepening their friendship with him through prayer. They sacrificed some of the opportunities they would have had to be together as brother and sister in order better to fulfill their vocation to the religious life. In coming closer to Christ, however, they found they were also closer to each other. In joining a religious community, they did not forget or forsake their family but rather found more brothers and sisters.

Quote:

“All religious are under an obligation, in accordance with the particular vocation of each, to work zealously and diligently for the building up and growth of the whole mystical body of Christ and for the good of the particular churches. It is their duty to foster these objectives primarily by means of prayer, works of penance, and by the example of their own lives” (Vatican II, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops, 33, Austin Flannery translation).

Patron Saint of:

Nuns

www.americancatholic.org

Lectio: 5th Sunday of ordinary time (C)

Lectio:

Sunday, February 10, 2013 

Faith in the word of Jesus and the miraculous catch of fish

The call of the first disciples

Luke 5: 1-11

1. Opening prayer

Father, now your Word has come! It has appeared like the sun after a dark night, empty and solitary. When your Word is not present, it is always thus, I know. Grant me the soft breeze from the sea of your Holy Spirit and may it gather me, walk with me towards Christ, your living Word to whom I wish to listen. I shall not move from this shore, where he teaches and speaks, but I shall stay here until such time as he takes me with him. Then I shall follow him wherever he takes me.

2. Reading

a) Placing the passage in its context:

This passage, full of great theological intensity, comes at the centre of a journey of faith and of meeting with the Lord Jesus, who leads us from deafness to being able to hear, from the most paralysing sickness to the saving healing that makes us capable of helping our brothers and sisters to be reborn with us. Jesus has begun his preaching in the synagogue of Nazareth, giving sense and light to the words in the scroll of the Torah (4: 16 ss.). He has defeated sin (4: 31-37) and sickness (4: 38-41), driving them away from the heart of human beings and he has announced the mysterious force that sent him to us and by which he moves, running like a giant who reaches every corner of the earth. It is a this point that we hear the answer that is the beginning of what follows, that is, the obedience of faith. It is at this point that the Church and a new people are born, those able to hear and respond with a yes.

b) To help us with the reading of the passage:

vv. 1-3: Jesus is on the shore of lake Genesareth and before him is a large crowd of people, eager to listen to the Word of God. He goes into a boat and pushes off a little. As teacher and guide, he sits on the waters and rules them, and from there he offers salvation to those who listen to and welcome the Word of God

vv. 4-6: Jesus invites some to go fishing and Peter trusts him, believes in the Word of the Master. In faith he launches into the deep and casts his nets. Because of his faith, the catch is over-abundant, it is miraculous.

v.7: Meeting Jesus is never a closed matter. The meeting always leads to communication, sharing. Indeed, the gift is too great and cannot be held by one person. Peter calls his mates in another boat and the gift is doubled and grows continually.

vv. 8-11: Peter kneels before Jesus, adores him and recognises his sinfulness, his nothingness, but Jesus calls him with the same authority that made so many seas obey him throughout Scripture: “Fear not!”. God reveals himself and becomes the companion of men and women. Peter accepts the mission of delivering men and women, his brothers and sisters, from the waters of the world and of sin, just as he was delivered. He leaves his boat, his nets, the fish and follows Jesus, he and his mates.

c) The text:

Luke 5: 1-111 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesareth. 2 And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simons, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." 5 And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, 7 they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

3. A moment of prayerful silence

During this time of silence and solitude accorded to me so that I can stay with Him, I go away from the shore a little way, take to the deep and, trusting in the Lord, I cast the net into the deep and I wait…

4. Some questions

a) “He sat down and taught the people from the boat”. Jesus comes down, sits and takes up his abode among us, he bends down even to touching our earth and from this smallness he offers us his teaching, his Word of salvation. Jesus offers me time, space, full availability to meet him and know him, but do I know how to pause, to stay, to take root in Him and before Him?

b) “He asked him to put out a little from the land”. The Lord’s request is gradual, in fact, after this first putting out from the land, He asks him to launch into the deep. “Put out into the deep!”: an invitation addressed to every man and woman. Do I have faith, trust and confidence in him to let go of my concerns? Do I look at myself sincerely and seriously? Where do the treasures of my life lie?

c) “I will let down the nets”. Peter gives us a brilliant example of faith in the Word of Jesus. In this passage, the verb “let down” occurs twice: the first time it refers to the nets and the second to the person of Peter. The significance is clear: before the Lord we can let down our whole being. We let down, but He gathers, always and with an absolute and infallible faithfulness. Do I feel like taking my life, today, just as it is, and letting it down at the feet of Jesus, in Him, so that He, once more, may gather me, heal and save me, making of me a new person?

d) “They beckoned to their partners in the other boat”. Again Peter becomes a guide on my journey and shows me how to be open to others, to share, because it is not possible to remain isolated and closed in the Church. We are all sent: “Go to my brethren and say to them” (Jn 20: 17). Am I able to bring my boat close to that of others? Am I able to share with my brothers and sisters the gifts and riches the Lord has given me to hold in trust?

5. A key to the reading

* The sea and the theme of the exodus:

Jesus is standing by the seashore. He stands above the dark, menacing and unknown tides of the sea and of life. He stands before this crowd of people gathered, ready to listen to him and ready for the journey, He who is the good shepherd with the staff of his Word. He wishes to take us across the seas and oceans of this world on a journey of salvation that brings us before Him, as had already happened at the Red Sea (Ex 14: 21-23) and on the banks of the Jordan (Jn 3: 14-17). Even the sea of sand in the desert is overcome by the power of his Word and opens up, becoming a garden, a level and passable road (Is 43: 16-21) for those who decide to go on the return journey to God and allow themselves to be guided by Him. In these few verses of the Gospel, the Lord once more prepares for us the great miracle of the exodus, of the coming out of the darkness of death through the saving crossing to the green pastures of friendship with Him and the listening to his voice. All is ready: our name has been called with infinite love by the good shepherd, who knows us from all eternity and who guides us for all eternity, never allowing us to fall from his hand.

* Listening in faith that leads to obedience:

This passage from Luke is the second concerning the glorious journey that the Lord Jesus presents to us. The crowd gathers closely around Jesus, urged by the intimate desire to “hear the Word of God”; this is the answer to the constant invitation of the Father, which we find throughout the Scriptures: “Hear, O Israel!” (Dt 6: 4) e “If only my people would hear me!” (Ps 80: 14). It is as if the crowd were saying: “Yes, I will hear what God proclaims, the Lord” (Ps 85: 9). But the kind of hearing that is mentioned and suggested is complete, not superficial; it is alive and life-giving, not dead; it is the hearing of faith, not of incredulity and of hardness of heart. It is the hearing that says: “Yes, Lord, at your word I will let down my nets”. The call addressed to us just now is the call to faith, to trust in him and in every word that comes from his lips, certain that whatever he says will come true. As God said to Abraham: “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?” (Gen 18: 14) or to Jeremiah: “Is anything impossible to me?” (Jer 32: 27); cfr. also Zac 8: 6. Or as it was said to Mary: “Nothing is impossible for God” (Lk 1: 37) and she replied: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word”. That is the point we must reach; like Mary, like Peter. We cannot be just hearers, otherwise we would be deceiving ourselves, as James says (1: 19-25); we would continue to be deceived by forgetfulness and we would be lost. The Word must be realised, put into practice, fulfilled. Great is the ruin of the one who hears the Word but does not put it into practice; we must dig deep and lay foundations on the rock, that is, faith in practice (cfr. Lk 6: 46-49).

* Fishing as the mission of the Church:

Fidelity to hearing and the faith leads to mission, that is, to enter into that society that Jesus instituted for the spreading of the kingdom. It seems that Luke, in this passage, wishes to present the Church living the post-paschal experience of the encounter with the risen Jesus. We note, in fact, the many allusions to the passage in Jn 21:1-8. Jesus chooses a boat and chooses Peter and, from the boat, he calls men and women, sons and daughters, to carry on his mission. We note that the verb “put out into the deep” is in the singular, referring to Peter who is given the task of guide, but the act of fishing is in the plural: “let down your nets”, referring to all those who wish to adhere to and participate in the mission. This one mission and common task of all is beautiful and sparkling, it is joyful! It is the apostolic mission, which begins now, in obedience to the Word of the Lord and that will reach the deep, even to the ends of the earth (cfr. Mt 28: 19; Acts 1: 8; Mk 16: 15; 13: 10; Lk 24: 45-48).

It is interesting to note the word that Luke uses to point out the mission given by Jesus to Peter, and to all of us, when he says: “Do not be afraid, henceforth you shall catch men”. Here we do not come across the term found in Mt 4: 18 ff., and in Mk 1: 16 or even in this passage in v. 2, which is simply fishing; here we find a new word, which appears only twice in the whole of the New Testament and which derives from the verb “to capture”, in the sense of “taking alive and keeping alive”. Indeed, the fishing people of the Lord, let down their nets into the sea of the world to offer to people Life, to tear them from the abyss and make them come back to true life. Peter and the others, we and our sailing partners in this world, can continue, if we wish, wherever we are, his wonderful mission as sent by the Father “to save what was lost” (Lk 19: 10).

6. A time of prayer: Psalm 66

A hymn of praise to the Lord,

who has opened our hearts to faith.

Rit. My strength and my song is the Lord; he has saved me!

Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;

sing the glory of his name;

give to him glorious praise!

Say to God, "How terrible are your deeds!

All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you,

sing praises to your name.

Come and see what God has done:

he is terrible in his deeds among men.

He turned the sea into dry land;

men passed through the river on foot.

There did we rejoice in him.

Bless our God, O peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard,

who has kept us among the living,

and has not let our feet slip.

For you, O God, have tested us;

You have tried us as silver is tried.

You brought us into the net;

we went through fire and through water;

yet you have brought us forth to a spacious place.

Come and hear, all you who fear God,

and I will tell what he has done for me.

I cried aloud to him,

and he was extolled with my tongue.

But truly God has listened;

he has given heed to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God,

because he has not rejected my prayer

or removed his steadfast love from me!

7. Closing prayer

Lord, you opened the sea and came to me; you split the night and began a new day in my life! You spoke your Word to me and touched my heart; you made me go with you into the boat and brought me to the deep. Lord, you have done great things! I praise you, I bless you and thank you, in your Word, in your Son Jesus and in the Holy Spirit. Always take me into the deep with you, in you and you in me, so that I may let down many nets of love, friendship, sharing and seeking your face and your kingdom here on earth. Lord, I am a sinner, I know! But for this too I thank you, because you did not come to call the just but sinners and I hear your voice and follow you. Behold, Father, I leave everything and come with you…

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