Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 434
Lectionary: 434
Brothers and sisters:
From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit
and growing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience,
with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit
and growing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience,
with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 98:2-3AB, 3CD-4, 5-6
R. (2) The
Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
AlleluiaMT 4:19
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 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.
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.
Meditation:
"You will catch people for the kingdom of God"
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 did
what the Lord Jesus told him to do: 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?
God
expects greater things than we can do by ourselves
This incident tells us an important truth about how God works in and through each of 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."
This incident tells us an important truth about how God works in and through each of 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 Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Witness
the joy of the Gospel
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).
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 and truth?
"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."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: By faith Peter casts the nets of
Christ's teaching, by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD)
"'That
you may understand that the Lord was speaking of spiritual fishing, however,
Peter says, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I
will let down the nets.' It is as if he were saying, 'Through the whole night
our fishing has brought us nothing, and we have been laboring in vain. Now I
will not fish with fishing gear but with grace, not with diligence acquired by
skill but with the perseverance acquired by devotion.' When Peter lets down the
nets at the word, therefore, he is in fact letting down the teachings in
Christ. When he unfolds the tightly woven and well-ordered nets at the command
of the Master, he is really laying out words in the name of the Savior in a
fitting and clear fashion. By these words he is able to save not creatures but
souls. 'We toiled all night,' he says, 'and took nothing.' Peter, who
beforehand was unable to see in order to make a catch, enduring darkness without
Christ, had indeed toiled through the whole night. But when the Savior's light
shone upon him the darkness scattered, and by faith he began to discern in the
deep what he could not see with his eyes." (excerpt from SERMON
110.2.1)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, LUKE 5:1-11
Weekday
(Colossians 1:9-14; Psalm 98)
Weekday
(Colossians 1:9-14; Psalm 98)
KEY VERSE: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men" (v. 10).
TO KNOW: As Jesus preached along the shore of Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), the crowds pressed in on him in such numbers that he was forced to get into a boat belonging to Simon Peter, who was cleaning his nets. Jesus told Simon to put out into the deep waters and prepare for a great catch. Simon protested that they had fished all night (the usual time for fishing) and caught nothing. But on the authority of Jesus' word he obeyed. Upon seeing the abundant catch, Simon was overcome by the power of Jesus’ words, and he confessed his sinfulness. Simon is called Peter for the first time, (Petros, “the Rock”) the name he will later have as the leader of the church. When the fishermen brought their boats ashore, they left everything behind and followed Jesus. This miraculous catch of fish signified the future mission of the Church. From earliest times, the Church has been called the “Bark of Peter. The disciples' efforts to bring souls to Christ would be successful if they obeyed him and remained true to his words.
TO LOVE: Do I cooperate with Jesus when he asks me to go to someplace new?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, give me the courage to trust you when I am afraid.
OPTIONAL MEMORIAL OF ST. THERESA OF CALCUTTA
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born in Albania of a Catholic family although the majority of Albanians were Muslims. In 1928 she joined the Sisters of Our Lady of Loreto, who were very active in India. She took her religious name of Teresa in honor of Saint Therese of Lisieux. She became a teacher and had very good communication with the children who loved her as a mother. She worked close to the slums of Calcutta, and became aware of the needs of the poor. On the 10th of September she left for a retreat, "the most important journey of my life" she said afterwards. It was then that she heard God's voice to leave the convent to help the poorest of the poor and to live with them. In March 1949 she received the first volunteer and more girls joined her until she started her own community, the Missionaries of Charity. The community grew into a congregation and she obtained papal approval in October 1950. Nowadays there are hundreds of sisters all over the world serving the poor. Mother Teresa traveled around the world to give talks, therefore obtaining help for her work and new sisters for the congregation. Mother Teresa died on September 5, 1997. She was canonized by Pope Francis I on September 4, 2016
Thursday 5 September 2019
Colossians 1:9-14. Psalm 97(98):2-6. Luke 5:1-11.
The Lord has made known his salvation – Psalm 97(98):2-6
‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch’
The Lord has made known his salvation – Psalm 97(98):2-6
‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch’
Jesus must have been so appealing, so reassuring to be around,
and must have spoken with such clarity. Uncomplicated truth is very attractive
when looking for inspiration. Even though the crowds had ‘pushed their way up
to him’, there doesn’t seem to be a sense of panic or anxiety from Jesus. He
simply just spotted the empty boat, climbed in and asked them to push Him
off shore, so He could continue teaching them. When we feel pressured or
buffeted by the world we live in, sometimes we need to metaphorically find
a boat and push off shore for a little while. And when we have found our peace,
Jesus invites us to push out even further, into the deep water, and drop
our nets. Lord help me to drop my guard, to drop my defences, drop my
fears and follow you.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Saint of the Day for September 5
(August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997)
Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Story
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the tiny woman recognized throughout
the world for her work among the poorest of the poor, was beatified October 19,
2003. Among those present were hundreds of Missionaries of Charity, the order
she founded in 1950, as a diocesan religious community. Today the congregation
also includes contemplative sisters and brothers and an order of priests.
Born to Albanian parents in what is now Skopje, Macedonia,
Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu was the youngest of the three children who survived.
For a time, the family lived comfortably, and her father’s construction
business thrived. But life changed overnight following his unexpected death.
During her years in public school, Agnes participated in a
Catholic sodality and showed a strong interest in the foreign missions. At age
18, she entered the Loreto Sisters of Dublin. It was 1928 when she said goodbye
to her mother for the final time and made her way to a new land and a new life.
The following year she was sent to the Loreto novitiate in Darjeeling, India.
There she chose the name Teresa and prepared for a life of service. She was
assigned to a high school for girls in Calcutta, where she taught history and
geography to the daughters of the wealthy. But she could not escape the
realities around her—the poverty, the suffering, the overwhelming numbers of
destitute people.
In 1946, while riding a train to Darjeeling to make a retreat,
Sister Teresa heard what she later explained as “a call within a call. The
message was clear. I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living
among them.” She also heard a call to give up her life with the Sisters of
Loreto and instead, to “follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the
poorest of the poor.”
After receiving permission to leave Loreto, establish a new
religious community, and undertake her new work, Sister Teresa took a nursing
course for several months. She returned to Calcutta, where she lived in the
slums and opened a school for poor children. Dressed in a white sari and
sandals–the ordinary dress of an Indian woman–she soon began getting to know her
neighbors—especially the poor and sick—and getting to know their needs through
visits.
The work was exhausting, but she was not alone for long.
Volunteers who came to join her in the work, some of them former students,
became the core of the Missionaries of Charity. Others helped by donating food,
clothing, supplies, and the use of buildings. In 1952, the city of Calcutta
gave Mother Teresa a former hostel, which became a home for the dying and the
destitute. As the order expanded, services were also offered to orphans,
abandoned children, alcoholics, the aging, and street people.
For the next four decades, Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on
behalf of the poor. Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy, as she
crisscrossed the globe pleading for support and inviting others to see the face
of Jesus in the poorest of the poor. In 1979, she was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize. On September 5, 1997, God called her home. Blessed Teresa was canonized
by Pope Francis on September 4, 2016.
Reflection
Mother Teresa’s beatification, just over six years after her
death, was part of an expedited process put into effect by Pope John Paul II.
Like so many others around the world, he found her love for the Eucharist, for
prayer, and for the poor a model for all to emulate.
Lectio Divina: Luke 5:1-11
Lectio Divina
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Almighty God,
every good thing comes from You.
Fill our hearts with love for You,
increase our faith,
and by your constant care
protect the good You have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
every good thing comes from You.
Fill our hearts with love for You,
increase our faith,
and by your constant care
protect the good You have given us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - 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 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.
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel we have the call of Jesus to Peter. The
Gospel of Mark places the call of the first disciples after the beginning of
the public ministry of Jesus (Mk 1:16-20). Luke places it after the fame of
Jesus was already extended across the whole region (Lk 4:14). Jesus had cured
many people (Lk 4:40) and had preached in the synagogues of all Judea (Lk
4:44). The people looked for Him and the crowds pushed Him on all sides in
order to hear the Word of God (Lk 5:1). Luke makes the call easier to understand.
In the first place, Peter can listen to Jesus’ words to the people, and then he
is a witness to the miraculous catch of fish. It is only after this double
surprising experience that he understands the call of Jesus. Peter responds. He
abandons everything and becomes a “fisher of men.”
• Luke 5:1-3: Jesus teaches from the boat. People look for Jesus in order to listen to the Word of God. Many people get together around Jesus, making a throng around Him. Jesus seeks help from Simon Peter and from some of his companions who had just returned from fishing. He goes into the boat with them and responds to the expectation of the people, communicating the Word of God to them. Sitting down, Jesus takes the attitude of a Teacher and speaks from a fisherman’s boat. The novelty consists in the fact that He teaches, not only in the synagogue for a choice public but in any place, where there are people who wish to listen, even on the seashore.
• Luke 5:4-5: “But if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When He had finished speaking, Jesus addresses Himself to Simon and encourages him to fish again. In Simon’s response there is frustration, fatigue and discouragement: “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing!” But trustful in Jesus’ word, they throw in the nets again and continue the struggle. The word of Jesus has greater force for them than the experience of frustration of that night!
• Luke 5: 6-7: The result is surprising. The catch is so abundant that the nets are about to tear and the boat begins to sink. Simon needs the help of John and James, who are in the other boat. Nobody is complete in himself, alone. One community has to help the other. The conflict among the communities, both at the time of Luke as well as today, should be overcome in order to attain a common objective, which is the mission. The experience of the force of the transformative word of Jesus is the axis around which the differences are embraced and overcome.
• Luke 5:8-11: “Be fishers of men.” The experience of the closeness of God in Jesus makes Peter understand who he is: “Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man!” Before God we are all sinners. Peter and his companions are afraid and, at the same time, they feel attracted to Jesus. Jesus drives away fear: “Do not be afraid!” He calls Peter and commits him to the mission, ordering him to be a fisher of men. Peter experiences, quite concretely, that the word of Jesus is like the word of God. It is capable of bringing about what it affirms. In Jesus those rough and tough laborers will have an experience of power, of courage, of trust. And so then, “they will abandon everything and follow Jesus!” Up until now it was only Jesus who announced the Good News of the Kingdom. Now other people will be called and involved in the mission. This way in which Jesus works, in a team, is also Good News for the people.
• The episode of the catch of fish along the lake indicates the attraction and the force of the Word of Jesus. He attracts people (Lk 5:1). He urges Peter to offer his boat to Jesus to be able to speak (Lk 5:3). The word of Jesus is so strong that it overcomes the resistance in Peter. It convinces him to cast the nets into the sea again and there is the miraculous catch (Lk 5:4-6). It overcomes in him the urge to leave Jesus and attracts him to become a “fisher of men” (Lk 5, 10). This is the way the Word of God acts in us, even now!
• Luke 5:1-3: Jesus teaches from the boat. People look for Jesus in order to listen to the Word of God. Many people get together around Jesus, making a throng around Him. Jesus seeks help from Simon Peter and from some of his companions who had just returned from fishing. He goes into the boat with them and responds to the expectation of the people, communicating the Word of God to them. Sitting down, Jesus takes the attitude of a Teacher and speaks from a fisherman’s boat. The novelty consists in the fact that He teaches, not only in the synagogue for a choice public but in any place, where there are people who wish to listen, even on the seashore.
• Luke 5:4-5: “But if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When He had finished speaking, Jesus addresses Himself to Simon and encourages him to fish again. In Simon’s response there is frustration, fatigue and discouragement: “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing!” But trustful in Jesus’ word, they throw in the nets again and continue the struggle. The word of Jesus has greater force for them than the experience of frustration of that night!
• Luke 5: 6-7: The result is surprising. The catch is so abundant that the nets are about to tear and the boat begins to sink. Simon needs the help of John and James, who are in the other boat. Nobody is complete in himself, alone. One community has to help the other. The conflict among the communities, both at the time of Luke as well as today, should be overcome in order to attain a common objective, which is the mission. The experience of the force of the transformative word of Jesus is the axis around which the differences are embraced and overcome.
• Luke 5:8-11: “Be fishers of men.” The experience of the closeness of God in Jesus makes Peter understand who he is: “Leave me Lord, I am a sinful man!” Before God we are all sinners. Peter and his companions are afraid and, at the same time, they feel attracted to Jesus. Jesus drives away fear: “Do not be afraid!” He calls Peter and commits him to the mission, ordering him to be a fisher of men. Peter experiences, quite concretely, that the word of Jesus is like the word of God. It is capable of bringing about what it affirms. In Jesus those rough and tough laborers will have an experience of power, of courage, of trust. And so then, “they will abandon everything and follow Jesus!” Up until now it was only Jesus who announced the Good News of the Kingdom. Now other people will be called and involved in the mission. This way in which Jesus works, in a team, is also Good News for the people.
• The episode of the catch of fish along the lake indicates the attraction and the force of the Word of Jesus. He attracts people (Lk 5:1). He urges Peter to offer his boat to Jesus to be able to speak (Lk 5:3). The word of Jesus is so strong that it overcomes the resistance in Peter. It convinces him to cast the nets into the sea again and there is the miraculous catch (Lk 5:4-6). It overcomes in him the urge to leave Jesus and attracts him to become a “fisher of men” (Lk 5, 10). This is the way the Word of God acts in us, even now!
4) Personal questions
• Where and how does the miraculous catch of fish take place
today?
• And they leaving everything followed Jesus. What do I have to leave in order to follow Jesus?
• In joining with other communities to, to overcome conflict between communities, how do we work together when both communities have the same stated mission, but have competing or conflicting ways to attain it?
• And they leaving everything followed Jesus. What do I have to leave in order to follow Jesus?
• In joining with other communities to, to overcome conflict between communities, how do we work together when both communities have the same stated mission, but have competing or conflicting ways to attain it?
5) Concluding Prayer
Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh?
Who shall take a stand in His holy place?
The one with clean of hands and a pure heart,
who does not swear an oath in order to deceive. (Ps 24:3-4)
Who shall take a stand in His holy place?
The one with clean of hands and a pure heart,
who does not swear an oath in order to deceive. (Ps 24:3-4)
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