Category: Uncategorized

***
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.

***

***

“Depart from me, LORD, for I am a sinful man.”

There’s always been a tender spot in my heart that is pricked when I read Peter’s words, because I identify with them. I know my weaknesses; I know my fears; I know the temptations that tug at my flesh, which can change over time. 

Although I long to be perfect as my heavenly Father is perfect, my heart remains a work in progress. 

So, I empathize with Peter’s humble protest, “Depart from me, LORD.”

***

And yet, where is Jesus going to go?

***

He and Peter are floating in the middle of the Sea of Galilee with a net full of fish. If Jesus took Peter’s words literally, then he’d have to either sink into the sea … or walk on it. 

I doubt Peter had either in mind.

Rather, in this heightened state of humility, Peter is ready to listen. His resistance is softened. His guard is down. Why did Jesus really get into his boat? Why has Peter been chosen? What, exactly, is it that Jesus wants him to do?

“I will make you a fisher of men,” he says.

Peter cannot fully grasp what this means. But he’s willing to accept the call. Jesus’ description of his future as being a “fisher of men” implies that he will not sever Peter from the work he loves; nor will his skills be underutilized.

Rather, Jesus will transform Peter into a greater version of himself. All of the experience he’s accumulated on the waters of Galilee will aid him in his future.

So, Peter drops his guard, his nets, and his own plans, allowing the adventure with Jesus to begin.

***

Sometimes we need to be reminded that, like Peter, God has a plan for each of us.

But it can only be revealed while we are in a state of humility – our hearts opened, our ears bent, our spirit ready to respond.

May we live this day saying not, “depart from me, LORD, “ but in the spirit of the prophet Samuel, who said, “Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.”

***

***

Image credits: (1) emeryhorvath.com (2) Saint John’s Seminary (3) Adobe Stock

***

Gospel: Luke 4: 38-44

After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon.
Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever,
and they interceded with him about her.
He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her.
She got up immediately and waited on them.

At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to him.
He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.
And demons also came out from many, shouting, “You are the Son of God.”
But he rebuked them and did not allow them to speak
because they knew that he was the Christ.

At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a deserted place.
The crowds went looking for him, and when they came to him,
they tried to prevent him from leaving them.
But he said to them, “To the other towns also
I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God,
because for this purpose I have been sent.”
And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

Today we discover a full day in the life of Jesus.

The Lord began his day in the synagogue, where he cast out an unclean spirit from a man, revealing Christ’s power of evil.

“After lunch,” Jesus enters Simon Peter’s home, where he heals Simon’s mother-in-law who is deathly ill. 

Then he continues his ministry well into the evening. As we hear in today’s Gospel, “At sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.”

I’d imagine by night the Lord was exhausted.

But early the next morning – before dawn – he is up and out, finding a quiet place to commune with his Father in prayer.

***

Prayer is what sustained Jesus throughout his life and ministry. It’s also what should sustain us. 

Think of prayer as another word for relationship. Everything that you do to enrich your relationship with God – from studying his Word, to serving him in your neighbor is prayer.

But the most important form of prayer is that one-on-one, heart-to-heart time with God, which the Lord shows us today is best found, “very early before dawn,” before other obligations or demands of the day take over.

I’ve been fortunate to pray for at least an hour a day before dawn for the last fifteen years. It’s transformed my life.

Over time, God can do wonderous things in your heart, as well, even with a few minutes each morning.

***

But be consistent. Be sincere. Be open.

Slowly, you’ll become more and more like him, “who has loved us and given himself for us.”

***

***

Image credits: (1) One Full Day, X (2) Healing of the Man Born Blind, El Greco (3) Catholic Coffee

***

Gospel: Luke 4:31-37

Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.
He taught them on the sabbath,
and they were astonished at his teaching
because he spoke with authority.
In the synagogue there was a man with the spirit of an unclean demon,
and he cried out in a loud voice,
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are–the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet! Come out of him!”
Then the demon threw the man down in front of them
and came out of him without doing him any harm.
They were all amazed and said to one another,
“What is there about his word?
For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits,
and they come out.”
And news of him spread everywhere in the surrounding region.

The Gospel of the Lord.

***

***

When I think of a sacred space, I think of this church. This altar. This pulpit. The Saints and the Stations of the Cross that line our walls.

Sacred spaces are filled with holy things that point us to God.

***

In today’s Gospel, there’s a man with an unclean spirit present in the synagogue. But the synagogue was a holy place – a sacred space, so why is he there?

Surely, he doesn’t belong… Or does he?

***

Perhaps he was a conflicted man, both a believer and a sinner – a man who knew he was under the power of something stronger than himself.

Maybe he went to the synagogue that day praying to be set free.

And he was.

***

At times, how many of us feel the same way?

We need Jesus to set us free from something: fear, laziness, jealousy, judgmental thoughts, anger, impatience, anxiety, whatever it may be.

We approach the Lord in confidence, praying that he will say those same words to us: “Come out of him! … Come out of her!”

***

Jesus can do it. He will do it. Sometimes the healing work of the Spirit is instant, as it is in the Gospel.

Most often it takes time.

We need patience with ourselves – and with others – while the Lord heals us, trusting in the words of Saint Paul: “God, who has begun this good work within you, will bring it to fulfillment.”

***

***

Image credits: (1) ArchDaily (2) Gospelimages (3) Martins Creek Mennonite Church