DoM Gospel Reflection—Luke 5: 1-11
5th Sunday Ordinary Time/ February 7, 2016
by Anne Marie Roubion
As I was praying and rereading this gospel, the Holy Spirit seemed to be repeating “Simon, do not be afraid.”
We left off last week when Jesus is forced to leave Nazareth quietly. He is now preaching and teaching crowds not in synagogues, but in wilderness areas. The scene in this Gospel begins as Jesus is speaking to the crowds near the Sea of Galilee and there were so many listeners that they were pressing in on him. In an attempt to create more space for teaching, Jesus asks Simon to use his boat as a pulpit. Simon, perhaps brimming with joy after having his mother-in-law healed in the end of Luke chapter four, acquiesces. (Luke 4:38) But clearly, Jesus isn’t just content to use Simon’s boat but Jesus has a mind to use Simon himself. This is the part of the Gospel where the prodding begins, “Put out into deep water….lower the nets. This is where Peter resists. This is where we all get stuck too. We show support for Christ in subtle ways, but when Jesus requires us to grow more faithful, we too resist. Following Christ becomes harder the more we know and love Him. Do you ever feel Jesus is prodding you? Do you become scared and search for ways to abstain from obedience? Jesus is saying to us and to Simon, “Do not be afraid.”
While researching some background information on this Gospel, scholars are divided over whether this incident is identical with Jesus’ call of these fishermen as recorded in Matthew, 1:8-22 and Mark 1:16-20. It is easy to confuse all the versions of Christ gathering his disciples. But we know that John 1: 35-42 records the first meeting between Jesus and Peter. Resources tell us that this incident in our Gospel takes place about one year later. These men had all met Jesus previously and had begun to follow Him, but they were not yet completely committed to His mission. They are still committed to their vocation of fishing. The amazing thing about this scene is that the wrong people seem to be close to our Lord. His disciples were not up front in the midst of the crowd but they were at a distance. The disciples were tending to their business and washing their nets. They were surprisingly detached from Jesus at this moment. It was probably no accident that Jesus was at that Lake. Jesus was seeking an intimate relationship with Peter and a deeper commitment from his disciples. We too are sometimes at a distance from Jesus. We leave mass after encountering Jesus in the Eucharist and go back to our business of cleaning our nets. Many saints such as Mother Teresa even felt distant from our Lord. This is why we can relate to the humanness of the Saints and the Apostles. Jesus continues to seek a personal encounter with Simon and with us! Thankfully, at those times when we are distant like Simon, Jesus will find us and say” Do not be afraid.”
Back to the story in the Gospel, we hear Jesus directly commands Peter to put out into the deep and let down the nets for a catch. Here is Jesus, a carpenter telling a professional fisherman how to do his job! Peter knew the best time to fish was at night and that he had just fished all night to no avail. It was probably difficult to row into the deep water. It took extra effort from an already tired fisherman. Simon, although frustrated, finally says “at your command, I will lower the nets.” The miraculous catch of fish produces a contrite Peter as he marvels at the power of Jesus. Simon, in this moment, realized three important things; how great was the power of Jesus, how great was his need of pardon, and how vital it is to value a relationship with Jesus above all else. Simon is forever changed. The truly great people in history obeyed God even when they did not understand. Think of Noah, Moses and Mary. Often times, though, our greatest weakness is the area that we are the most skilled. We feel like we know better than Jesus how to handle the things in which we are the most talented. It is even in these things that we must be obedient to God’s will. This is when miracles happen. When Jesus asks us to go into deeper waters, he is asking for our faith and trust. What about our own church, St. Ignatius, calling us to join a Mercy Group for Lent? Doesn’t Father Shields know that we have our own Lenten traditions? Why try something different? Why should we go into deeper waters when we have our own way? When God’s commands don’t fit into our way of thinking, we must not be afraid to give control to God in all things. Jesus is speaking to us when he says, “Do not be afraid” to trust him to enter the deeper waters.
In the last part of this Gospel, Luke tells us that Simon and the disciples were so changed that they brought their boats to shore and left everything to follow him. They then left their familiar and knowledgeable fishing profession to be fishers of men. It is after this event that Luke begins to call Simon by the new name of Peter. Just as Simon became Peter, the lives of the apostles were also redirected. After this incident, catching fish did not compare to following Jesus and catching men. Christ and His purpose had now captivated them. Jesus is seeking for us to be his disciples and to have a deeper commitment to him. Jesus tells Simon; do not be afraid for you will now be catching men. We cannot be afraid to spread the nets of the Gospel to others. God uses the 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 to Jesus. The old adage holds true that says God does not called the equipped; he equips the called. We have to use what God has equipped us with to further his kingdom. We have to do more than let Jesus use our boat. We need to let Christ use us to lead others to the truth of the Gospel. Just as another boat was needed in this Gospel to help gather the extra fish, we have our church community and the Daughters of Mary to help us catch people for Jesus Christ. This is the purpose of performing works of mercy with a group of fellow parishioners. We have no need to go back to our nets and keep Jesus at a distance. We too, can be changed like Peter and realize the power of Jesus. We can keep Jesus as our main focus by repenting of our sins, living the Gospel, and by setting the example in showing mercy to others. We have no need to be afraid for it is through Jesus that we can accomplish miracles.
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