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 signalled 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.
Homily
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Recently I met with a parent who was at his wit’s end not knowing how to deal with his teenage daughter. After speaking with the parent and the child the issue boiled down to something very simple but difficult. The daughter’s stance was “I know what I want in life. Nobody can tell me what to do.” This extended to friendships, partying, morals, religion etc.
As I thought about the incident some things became much clearer. Power, money, and pleasure reign supreme as the values by which to measure our lives and happiness, and the ability to choose is the one freedom which must not be taken away. While the ability to choose is indeed a gift we have made the human will the ultimate reality. There is no objective standard outside of ourselves that our will must adhere to. We make the truth. What feels good to us is good and therefore we decide what is good. Because of this nobody has a right to tell me what to do. The human will therefore has no duty, no responsibility, no obedience to any authority other than itself. What this does is deny the transcendent. It removes the sense of sin. There is nothing higher to which we owe obedience.
The Gospel reading for this weekend shows us a different reality. After preaching to the disciples and the crowds, Jesus tells Simon to “put out into deep water and lower the nets.” Simon and his companions have fished all night and caught nothing so they would have been very little inclined to go out again. Unlike our times however Simon has not made his will the ultimate arbiter of what should or should not be done. Simon, in spite of his misgivings, in a show of respect for this preacher, goes out with his companions. The result is such a great catch that “both boats were filled and were in danger of sinking.”
Before the evidence of this power beyond human reckoning Peter recognizes the transcendent. He recognizes the divine in Jesus and he recognizes his own sinfulness. He recognizes his unworthiness to be in the presence of the transcendent; “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
It is when Peter becomes aware of his own sinfulness and inadequacy that he and his companions could hear the call of Jesus and follow HIM. “When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.”
This is in fact the pre-requisite for the hearing of God’s call and the following of a vocation. Unless we are aware of our own inadequacies, our sinfulness, our smallness before the transcendent God, we cannot hear God’s call and we are incapable of being called out of ourselves to something greater. When we are full of ourselves we destroy the capacity to listen. Were it not for Peter’s recognition of his own sinfulness and smallness before God, he would have remained a fisherman all his life. He recognized his sinfulness, his unworthiness before the transcendent and became the prince of the apostles.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, Peter recognized his unworthiness before your Son and was called to form part of the enterprise of hastening the world on its journey towards the New Jerusalem. Help us to understand that our wills are not the ultimate; help us to understand that there is a WILL with a purpose far greater than any we can have and that you call us as you called Peter to be part of that enterprise. Help us not to be so full of ourselves that we cannot hear your voice. Give us the grace to hear that voice as Peter did and to follow it. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our Mother and your Son Jesus. Amen
