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Gospel: 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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It’s dawn on the shores of Galilee.
Peter is mending his empty, stinking, fishing nets. After having worked all night, he comes up empty-handed. His only rewards are sore muscles and a bitter dose of disappointment.
Failure is never fun.
Suddenly, Jesus shows up and steps into Peter’s boat. Looking at an exhausted, unsuspecting Peter, he tells him to row his boat back out to sea – that is, to do the same thing he’s done all night one more time.
To Peter, it was a ridiculous – and perhaps slightly offensive – request. He not Jesus is the professional fisherman.
Besides, the best place to fish is not out in the deep, but along the shoreline, where the fish gather to nibble on underwater plants. After a brief protest, Peter gives in.
“Master, at your command, I will lower the nets.”
Suddenly, his nets are tearing at the seams, providing a good lesson for Peter and us: Jesus can turn failure into abundance.
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While none of us may be professional fishermen, we all know what it’s like to fail, to stand idly, mending our broken hearts after having given our best at something, only to come up empty-handed.
Maybe we’ve poured ourselves into a marriage that suddenly ended; into children who have somehow separated themselves from us; into a ministry, a job, or a dream that’s dried up in spite of our best efforts.
Each in our own way, we can stand with Peter disappointed, out of luck, frustrated, mending our nets.
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Sometimes, that’s when Christ shows up, stepping into our lives while issuing the command: “Put out into deep and lower your nets for a catch.”
Do the same old, same old one more time. Mysteriously, we may find our nets tearing at the seams.
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Image credits: (1) One Walk with Jesus (2) The Collector (3) MyMythos