Thursday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time
Today's Mass Readings
Today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke is an especially powerful one. Simon Peter is a skilled fisherman. He knows that the best time for catching fish in the deep was at night. And yet, his boat had caught nothing. After such a hard night’s work, Simon must have felt defeated as Jesus approached. Jesus, who was not a skilled fisherman, but rather a carpenter, tells Simon to go back out to the deep water, now at daytime, when it is even less likely that they will catch any fish, and lower the nets. Simon obeys Jesus, despite his own knowledge of fishing. Simon steps out and follows Jesus. This is a great act of trust, regardless of what Simon was thinking or believing inside. To Simon’s shock, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets were literally bursting. The two boats that went out were so full of fish that they were on the verge of sinking. It is here that Simon recognizes Who it is that stands before him. He recognizes as well, who he himself is, and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
Jesus’ response is equally instructive: “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid. These words were echoed again and again by Pope John Paul II throughout his papacy. We need not be afraid, we need only follow Jesus with abandon. We need to stop simply trusting in ourselves, even in areas where we really know what we are doing, perhaps especially in such areas. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not, in all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.” This is what Simon Peter did; he trusted in the Lord.
Life will confront us again and again with doubts and with troubles. We do not have to feel God’s presence, we must simply believe and know that God is present. Even when we are plagued with doubts about God, when we are confronted with situations where all seems lost, we must continue to follow the Lord. We need only follow Jesus, no matter how dark the road may appear, no matter how lost the cause. Following Jesus will not save us from suffering. Following Jesus will save us through suffering. Let us follow the example of Simon and the other fisherman who left everything and followed Jesus.
- Maria Morrow