A Life Transformed by Christ

In today's Gospel, Luke 5: 1-11, Jesus, seeing Simon's boat abandoned, as the fishermen had left it to mend their nets, Jesus entered it to continue preaching to the crowd that had pressed around him on shore.  When he finished preaching, he asked Simon to go out into the deep and lower their nets for a catch.  A bit taken aback, he says to Jesus, "we have been fishing all night and have come up empty. But at  your command, we will try again, moving further into the deep."  They caught so many fish that two boats were needed to haul in the catch. Peter was astounded, overcome with fear and asked Jesus to leave him. "For I am a sinful man." Jesus responds: "Fear not, Peter. From now on you will be fishers of men and women." Jesus means, although at this point does not state it, you will, hence forward, be luring men and women into a closer relationship with me, teaching them the Good News of the Kingdom of God in their midst.Though still a fisherman and referred to as such, Simon, from that moment on, puts his eyes on the Lord, walks with Him, sits at His feet being taught about the Kingdom of God here on earth and the role he will assume as a leader of Jesus' disciples.

When we put Christ at the center of our lives and not our  "fishing business," we, too,  become new persons, as Simon, now known as Peter,  did.  Once our lives are turned to the Lord, we then allow the Spirit to lead us into the Light, into Truth, into repentance, into humility, into love that knows no bounds. Our only concern, in any state in life--marriage, religious life, single life or the priesthood-- is that we  serve the Lord above all, that we "put out into the deep water and lower...[our] nets." Though we may have caught nothing in our previous efforts, we say, with Peter, "at your command," Lord, I will do it. I will not give up."

Called from birth to be God's servants

Today’s first reading, Is. 49: 1-6, is all about God’s servants, you and me, and about Jesus.  Each of us is called from birth to serve the Lord, to carry out the Father’s will for us, to live intelligent, creative lives for the sake of the Kingdom and to be as “sharp” in doing good, perceiving and avoiding evil as any “two-edged sword”.  We are conceal in the “shadow” of God’s love and “polished” by grace, even, and especially, when we think we have “toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly [spending our] strength.” 

 Think of Jesus’ ministry coming to an end in the way it did. Truly, it looked as though He had “toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent…[His] strength.”  At the Last supper He confides to His assembled disciples that one of them is going to betray Him and another will deny Him 3xs before the cock crows. In the darkest of hours, Jesus is abandoned by those He thought were faithful friends.

When things get rough in life, do I abandon others? Do I walk away from Jesus, from people who count on my support, even betraying them and walking out into “the night” to do that which I know is wrong of me to do?” When push comes to shove, do I deny knowing Jesus, knowing those who need me to stand by their side?  In the difficulties of life do I abandon the faith in which I was raised?