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Thursday of the Twenty Second Week in Ordinary Time
I Corinthians 3:18-23
Psalm 24:IBC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6
Luke 5:1-11
S
UMMARY
Jesus was teaching a crowd of people from a boat a short distance
from the shore of the Lake of Gennesaret. When he finished teaching
he told Simon to ˈPut out into deep water and lower your nets for a
catch.ˉ Simon, who was an experienced fisherman, tells Jesus that
they have fished all night and caught nothing. Nevertheless, he
obeys Jesus˅ command and lowers the nets. They caught such an
abundance of fish that the nets were tearing and the boats nearly
sank. After witnessing this, Simon confesses to Jesus that he is a
sinful man. Jesus tells Simon and the other disciples who are with
them at the time, ˈDo not be afraid, from now on you will be catching
men.ˉ Then they brought the boats to shore, left everything and fol-
lowed Him.
R
EFLECTION
There are a number of profound teachings in this reading. I see my-
self in the stubbornness of Simon Peter. His immediate reaction to
Jesus telling him to lower his nets is to dispute Jesus and remind Him
that they have fished all night without catching anything. He feels he
knows better. Jesus˅ idea seems foolish to Simon. He
knows
it will
be a waste of time. Jesus was teaching him and the others that they
must put their trust in Him. Trust in Him when you think you know
better; trust in Him when it seems foolish or a waste of time. To trust
and obey God is to find our salvation. It is to be rewarded with an
abundance of His riches.