FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
7 FEBRUARY 2016
Simon
and his partners had been working all night with nothing to show for their
efforts. Sweaty, smelling like fish, and
exhausted, he is washing his nets. He
must be a bit surprised when this itinerant preacher from Galilee invades his
private property and asks him if he could use his boat as a pulpit. Simon Peter agrees and listens to his teaching. He must have been impressed, because he calls
him “master.”
Jesus
startles him when he tells him to put out into deep water and lower his nets
for a catch. Peter knows his profession
and makes excuses for not going back out again, much as Isaiah had argued that
he was too sinful to be a prophet. But,
he shows his respect for the master and does what he is told. To his amazement, putting out into deep water
brings him and his partners an abundance they had never experienced. Like Isaiah, Simon Peter realizes his
inadequacies and acknowledges his sinfulness.
Addressing Jesus as “Lord,” Peter abandons his familiar way of living
and joins his brother and the Zebedee brothers to follow Jesus on the way. Putting into deep water has brought a rich
quality to his life that he could never have earned.
Jesus
Christ has a way of entering into our lives, even when we are sweaty, smelling
of the messiness of life, and exhausted.
Like the crowds in the Gospel, we gather to hear him speak to us. So many times, we remain in the shallows of
our spiritual lives and stay close to the familiar ground of being in control. But Jesus invites us to put out into deep
water. Lent can draw us much more deeply
into our faith. Please read the
information in the Stewardship of Prayer packet. The disciplines of prayer, fasting, and
almsgiving can take us deeper into the spiritual life and immerse us more
completely into the Mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In letting go of the familiar ground of our
need to control, we open ourselves to an abundance of graces which we could
never imagine.
Lent
provides a remarkable opening to improve our prayer, which is the cornerstone
of stewardship. Had Isaiah not spent
time reflecting in prayer the implications of his calling, he could never have
become the famous prophet we know. The
same is true of Saint Paul. Like them,
we spend time in prayer to make sense of the ways the Lord is present in our
daily lives. Please listen to David
Provost, as he tells the story of his experience of prayer.
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