Sharing the Word – February-10-2019 – Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (YearC)
Readings: First Reading; Isaiah 6: 1 – 8,
Responsorial Psalm; Ps. 137 : 1- 5, 7, 8.
Second Reading; 1 Cor. 15: 1 – 11,
Gospel : Luke 5: 1-11
In the Gospel, Luke narrates how Peter, a professional fisherman and his crew had been out at the Lake of Gennesaret, the whole night, and made no catch. A crowd pressing around Jesus to listen to him makes Him to enter one of the boats (Peter’s). When Jesus finishes preaching, He asks Peter to put out into the deep waters and pay out the nets for a catch. Peter is reluctant, as they had “worked hard all night long and caught nothing”. Peter says, but if Christ says so, he will pay out the nets to the deep waters. And he does and Lo! the catch is so great that their nets begin to tear and both boats are at sinking point.
Peter is a professional fisherman, and knows that the best catch is at night. Yet Jesus tells him to fish by daylight. We are constantly in search of more knowledge for richer career profiles, amassing wealth, sometimes even through crooked means. We want to anchor security for ourselves and our nearest, even if it means destruction of others in the process. In the wake of our daily struggles, we fail to listen to the voice of Jesus. Like Peter, we depend so much on our professional knowledge. Do you consider your professional knowledge greater than God’s power?
Like Peter again, we should understand that our knowledge is limited and Jesus’ power surpasses all. When we put Jesus first in all that we do, we discover new horizons, and new possibilities. When He calls and we respond, it enables us to achieve unimaginable things in our lives. Yet, we have to declare our unworthiness even when we are called. Are we open to Him and His call?
In the first reading, Isaiah acknowledges his sinfulness, but still says ‘Here I am Lord, send me’. In the second reading, Paul says he is the least of the apostles and does not even deserve to be called an apostle, yet he tries all to preach and practise what he has received. In the Gospel, Peter, confesses that he is a sinful man and even asks Jesus to leave him alone because of his state of sinfulness, still at the call of Jesus, he leaves all, and follows Him.
Isaiah, Peter and Paul are three very important people in the Bible. All three had a deep sense of their own unworthiness. Yet, all three went on to do great things for God.
We are like all these three, Isaiah, Paul and Peter. Our sins are many; pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, sloth, in fact very many. If we count them, we do not find an end, because they are many, hundreds and thousands. What is important is acknowledging our sinfulness, and trying our best to follow the words of Jesus. Maybe we are waiting to see him walk down our streets like He did 2000 years ago before we listen to Him. If only we could rewind the clocks! Yet, He does every day and we fail to recognise Him.
I am sure! I say very SURE! that we meet him every day of our lives. At our work places, in our schools, in the market, on the streets, in our homes. And He has kept on calling on us to follow Him, to extend to Him our helping hand, a smiling face. He says, ‘any good you do to one of the least of my brothers, you do it to me’. Do we need to open our eyes more? There He is! Right there besides us, in such our work places, in our schools, in our homes, on our streets, in our market places. He is not calling us to put out our nets into a lake, of-course, we are not, and may never be fishermen, but He is asking us to, in our own various walks of life, acknowledge our sinfulness. When we acknowledge our sinfulness, we invite Jesus’ compassion. We all know what we do to others which He commands us not to do, and even such, we would not like to be done to us. Maybe He is calling us to be hardworking and faithful colleagues not eye servants; true friends, not chameleons; sincere Christians and priests, not wolves in sheep skin; diligent students not cheats; loving parents not monsters; faithful wives/husbands not love-gamblers, supportive fathers/mothers-in-law, not the toxic gold-diggers.
It is at the moment that Peter recognises his weaknesses that Jesus challenges him to greater things, to become the fisher of men. Peter knows that the only thing that he could rely on, was the word and power of Jesus. We cannot put off our weaknesses or make excuses of them for doing nothing. Of course, we aren’t angels! Rather, we must learn to turn them to our advantage as Isaiah, Paul and Peter did. Then and only then shall we have true new horizons, opportunities, possibilities and achievements, otherwise believing anything else, will only lead to nothing!
Jesus’ word to us today is that we should let down our nets and our catch will be unprecedented. Jesus uses ordinary people like you and me to be His ambassadors, and He uses ordinary circumstances of our daily lives and work situations to draw us into His Kingdom. If we accept His word today, we will have the joy of discovering that it is when we are weak that we are strong, because His power becomes available to us. Then should we be able to catch people for His Kingdom. This is only possible if we allow His light to shine in us, in the way we live, speak, and witness to the Gospel.
A Little Prayer.
Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for Your love and compassion for me. Lord, give me the humility to acknowledge my sins, and the strength to rise above them. Lord, may I show the same humility to others and be a good witness of your truth, love, compassion and salvation to my family, friends, neighbours and co-workers. Amen.
Have a blessed week.
Bobe Talla Toh.
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