Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to 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.
 

Listening to the word of God

1) The crowd. When I reflect on these moments in Jesus’ life, I’m struck by how firmly He holds onto His identity, even in the middle of a crowd. That’s one of the hardest things to do today. People can easily pressure us to become someone we’re not, or to act the way they want us to act, until we start losing ourselves. Today, Jesus reminds us that no matter how busy life gets or how many people surround us, we can’t forget who we are or lose sight of our purpose in this world.

2) Washing their nets. Never forget that the extraordinary is built from the ordinary moments of our lives. You don’t have to be a die-hard church member to serve in Christ’s name. You just need a willing heart, a desire to help, and the openness to listen to what God wants from you. That’s how you can make a real impact on others. You can share the Gospel in your everyday routine—sometimes through something as simple as asking someone, “How are you doing?”

3) Depart from me. I love this part of the Gospel because Peter admits he’s a flawed sinner, and yet Jesus draws close to him. Jesus came for everyone, not just a select few. That’s why it breaks my heart when people seem eager to tell others, “You’re going to hell.” As a recovering Pharisee myself, I’ve learned that God gives everyone a chance. Truth spoken with love is real justice. But love without truth, or truth without mercy, misses the point of God’s love and can easily turn into self-righteousness.

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.