5th SUNDAY ORDINARY, 06 February 2022, ISAIAH 6. 1-2, 3-8; 1 COR 15. 1-11; LUKE 5. 1-11
Focus: Miracles still happen. Who can say, miracles are no more, or they have stopped, either because God is indifferent and no more interested, or the humans are no more bothered about God and are weak in faith?
1. There is a miracle in today’s gospel. There is a huge catch of fish. This miracle gives us the greatest assurance that miracles do happen and still continue to happen. The simple reason is God never ceases to love us. He never abandons us. He continues to come to us and intervenes in our life.
2. Jesus stepped into the situation of the would-be disciples, namely Simon Peter, James, and John. And he changes the whole mood and tempo of the situation. Nothing changes into abundance, failure into success, sadness into gladness, disappointment, and quitting into renewed confidence, perseverance, and continuity.
3. In fact, a true miracle is this: it is not this or that isolated acts of favors from God. It is not getting big money or opportunity or success or some promotion or some cure. It is essentially a change for the better, a change for more. Still further, the greatest miracle is the change of identity and way of life, being raised to a new dignity: from being ordinary fishermen to fishermen of souls. Yes, we are raised to higher things, higher goals, a nobler and larger mission.
4. Now how this miracle can happen? What facilitates such change, such raising, such transition? There are a few requisites. First, Listen to the Lord and obey his directive. Second, Cast into the deep. Third, Humble yourself. Fourth, renounce. Finally, follow him closely and constantly.
5. Listen and obey: As soon as Jesus directed Simon Peter to cast the net into the deep, Peter promptly obeyed. Of course, he notified Jesus of the experience of their futile attempt all through the night. But he did not protest or contest or resist. He did not challenge Jesus’ lack of fishing experience; nor did he insist on his own fishing abilities. The Lord said, ‘cast', and he cast.
6. Peter cast the nets into the deep: This is something significant. He could catch abundance because he got into the deep. As long as we prefer to be on the shores and borders, as long as we want to play it safe peripherally and superficially, as long as we do not want to plunge into the deep waters, we cannot have a catch. Therefore, stop being shallow and peripheral. Get into the deep – deep of heart, deep of consecration, deep of love, deep of mission, deep of loyalty, deep of zeal, deep of commitment.
7. Be humble and realize our unworthiness: In the presence of Jesus, Peter realized his unworthiness and unholiness. That is why he would plead to Jesus, Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man. Similar was the humble self-awareness of Isaiah, I am a man of unclean lips. The more we grow closer to the Lord and in holiness, the more we should become aware of our sinfulness and thus humble ourselves. Humility is the greatest sign of holiness!
8. Give up everything: The disciples are not carried away by the huge catch of the fish. They do not sit down and begin to calculate the profit. They do not make big plans for sale and business. They do not cling to what they have, namely, their boats, nets, possessions, and properties, even their homes, families, relatives, and friends. They dissociate themselves from all that was ‘theirs’, all that was dear and valuable to them.
9. Finally, they immediately set out to follow Jesus. They commit themselves to walk with him in his footsteps, to live with him, and to totally build their lives on him. They take up his own mission. This is again the same spirit of following by Isaiah in the first reading. God searches for the emissaries on His mission with the question, “whom shall I send?” Isaiah promptly and unhesitatingly responds: “Here I am! Send me”
Direction: Often many lament that miracles are not many. It is not so much because they are scarce; rather many look for miracles that are more materialistic and worldly. If only we seek the true miracles of interior healing and strength, then they always abound
(REFLECTION 2 FROM 2021, 02 SEPTEMBER: LUKE 5. 1-11)
Focus: Our Vocation is a precious and noble gift, irrespective of the differences in the walks of life. The ultimate and sole aim of every vocation is to make a constant transition from our old life of sin to a new life of grace in following the Lord closely
1. In the gospel episode, Luke 5. 1-11, we have the miraculous catch of the fish. This becomes the manifestation of Jesus’ power and also the occasion of the call of the first disciples. These are the two obvious themes. But apart from these, what is very striking is the aspect of transition or change that happens.
2. A situation of nothingness and total lack of fish changes into abundance. A sense of the futility of toiling vainly the whole night changes into a sense of utility and fruitfulness of catching plenty. Failure turns into success; fear is transformed into confidence; discouragement blossoms into courage and encouragement. Sadness is enveloped by gladness; hopelessness flowers into hopefulness; giving up and quitting is reversed by perseverance and rekindled stability. Thus, the whole misery is changed into glory, whereby a debacle becomes a miracle.
3. But, still, apart from these detailed elements of change and transition, there is one factor that is more profound and underlying. That is the change of their vocation, the change of their very identity, the change of the level and the dignity of their very life, the change of the direction of their work. They are transformed from mere fishermen to fishers of men or souls. This, in fact, is the highest form of change and transition.
4. This core change implies a lot. It is no more a change in that particular situation of the miraculous haul of fish. It is no more limited only to those few moments. It involves their whole life. Their entire life changes. Their person changes. Their focus and direction change. Their lifestyle, their manner of living changes. Their goals and objectives change. Still, further, it is a qualitative change. It is a change from something lower to something higher.
5. This is the same change that is implied in Colossians 1. 9-14. It is being “qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in light; delivered from the dominion of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son”. It is to be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and insight”. It is to “increase in the knowledge of God”. It is to be “strengthened will all power, according to his glorious might, to endure patiently and joyfully”. It is to “live a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him”. It is to “bear fruit in every good work”.
Direction: We too profess to follow the Lord closely. We too experience the power of the Lord very many times in our life. But does he make a substantial change in the quality of us as persons, in the quality of our mode of living? Are we constantly changing in transition for the better?
(REFLECTION 3 ON LUKE 5. 1-11 FROM 2020)
Focus: Self-complacency, self-righteousness, self-glorification are the greatest hindrances to experiencing the power of Jesus and are sure roads to failure and frustration. Turning to Jesus alone is the simplest secret of success and happiness
The miraculous catch of fish is not just a miracle that demonstrates Jesus’ power to do wonders. It is a life lesson, it is a direction, it is a challenge, it is an assurance. The miracle invites us to see clearly the difference between a life without Jesus and a life with Jesus, and then to strive to live with him always and everywhere. As long as Jesus was not with the disciples, there was the futility of their efforts at fishing (“toiled whole night and caught nothing”), there was total lack of fish (“not even a single fish”), there was an utter failure (“caught nothing”), there was fear, sadness, disillusionment, hopelessness, giving up, and in the end, misery. But with Jesus’ presence, things are reversed and change totally. There is No more futility but fruition (“caught fish”), no more scarcity but abundance (abundance to the point of “nets breaking” and “two boats sinking”), no more failure but success (“rich catch”), no more sadness but joy, no more fear but confidence, no more disillusionment but encouragement, no more hopelessness but hopefulness, no more misery but glory. How foolish are those to lose such a miracle and abundance, being with Jesus! In fact, it is not merely some occasional moments of benefit or miracle. It is the biggest miracle of an overall change of life: it is a heightening of the whole status and dignity of life to another level – it is no more “being mere fishermen”, but being raised to “being fishers of souls”!
Direction: The more we are with Jesus and the more we surrender ourselves to his direction, the more we will see the purpose, direction, and fruitfulness of life
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