Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 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 signaled 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.
Cast Your Nets
1. Crowd. It’s possible to be surrounded by people and still feel alone. Just as it’s possible to be physically alone but have many people truly present in your life. The key is to not lose your identity for others, and not to lose your life trying to please too many people. Life itself teaches you that filling your life with too many people and things can create an inner emptiness, a constant absence of yourself and even of God within you. Don’t let external noise disrupt your inner harmony.
2. Into deep water. Life is about facing challenges, tackling them, but above all, putting it all on the line for someone, for what you want and love. Life is made of these elements: waking up every day, being grateful, but most importantly, “enjoying.” The word “enjoy” comes from the idea of “to give joy”, “to take pleasure in” or “to have the benefit of.” Therefore, live life fully and take risks to gain something from your experience.
3. Depart from me. When we look at our nothingness, it scares us. We mustn’t forget that we make mistakes and that we must own up and accept them. However, we also need to recognize that God comes to find us despite them. Remember that we are forgiven sinners. The Church isn’t a gathering of perfect people who boast about their holiness. That’s not the Church. The Church is you and me, forgiven sinners, who come together to ask God to help us change and become better people every day.
Never forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
