Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel:

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

It’s amazing to consider what Peter saw when he looked inside himself. Spiritually, he saw a failure, a “sinful man.” 

Professionally, he saw the same. Peter just spent the entire night fishing without making a single catch, meaning he’s heading home without any money or food to feed himself or his family.

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Jesus sees Peter differently.

He sees a man who’s learned his trade through years of hard work – Peter’s calloused hands are evidence of that. Peter also knows the value of patience, perseverance, and team work.

Best of all, he’s obedient. 

Although he didn’t make a single catch the night before, Jesus commanded him to lower his nets … and he did.

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What a world of difference. Two sets of eyes looking at the very same person.

Peter saw a sinner.

Jesus saw the future of the Church. “From now on,” he says, “I will make you a fisher of men.”

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As human beings, it’s easy to dwell on our faults and failures. As Peter said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

But Jesus sees so much more inside of us – natural skills, talents, and abilities – that can be emboldened by grace.

“Be who God made you to be,” Saint Catherine of Siena said, “and you will set the world on fire.”

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Image credits: (1) St. Peter, Rubens (2) Miraculous Catch of Fish, Raphael (3)

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1 Cor. 3: 1-9:

Brothers and sisters, 
I could not talk to you as spiritual people,
but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.
I fed you milk, not solid food,
because you were unable to take it.
Indeed, you are still not able, even now,
for you are still of the flesh.
While there is jealousy and rivalry among you,
are you not of the flesh, and walking 
according to the manner of man?
Whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another,
“I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely men?

What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul?
Ministers through whom you became believers,
just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God’s co-workers; 
you are God’s field, God’s building.

The Word of the Lord.

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“Brothers and sisters, I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.”

In our first reading, Saint Paul is correcting the behavior of some of the earliest Christians. Instead of acting like mature adults, he says they’re being “infants.” They’re jealous and divided.

As a result, he has to “spoon feed” them the Gospel because they cannot digest it well.

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I’d imagine Paul’s words left a bitter taste in their mouth. Nobody likes being corrected, or told how to live their life. But, ironically enough, if these Christians do not accept Paul’s criticism, then he could add pride to their list of sins!

Though not easy to digest, Paul is taking ownership for these Christian’s growth; he loves them. Like a spiritual father, he’s teaching them how to draw closer to Jesus.

And for the Corinthians – as is true for all of us at times – that meant being spoon fed a slice of humble pie.

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How willing am I to accept criticism from others? Do I accept my need for growth?

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May we all live the words of the Psalmist, “a humble, contrite heart, O God, you will not spurn.”

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Image credits: (1) Quote Master (2) Agape Bible Study (3) Orthodox Christian Network

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Gospel: Mark 6: 17-29

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist arrested and bound in prison
on account of Herodias, 
the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married.
John had said to Herod,
“It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
Herodias harbored a grudge against him
and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man,
and kept him in custody.
When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed,
yet he liked to listen to him.
She had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers,
his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee.
Herodias’ own daughter came in
and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests.
The king said to the girl,
“Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.”
He even swore many things to her,
“I will grant you whatever you ask of me,
even to half of my kingdom.”
She went out and said to her mother,
“What shall I ask for?”
She replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request,
“I want you to give me at once
on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
The king was deeply distressed,
but because of his oaths and the guests
he did not wish to break his word to her.
So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders
to bring back his head.
He went off and beheaded him in the prison.
He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.
The girl in turn gave it to her mother.
When his disciples heard about it,
they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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This is an incredibly sad and dark passage. Why would Mark spend so much time describing the execution of John?

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Primarily because John the Baptist’s death foreshadows what will happen to Jesus. 

Just as John is murdered for speaking the truth to authority, so Jesus will be killed for confronting people with hard truths, including our need for repentance in order to be saved.

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Herod’s foolish decisions also show the snowball effect of unchecked sin. Meaning, small sins can quickly snowball into much larger ones – a warning to us all.

It begins with Herod’s hardened heart. While he displays a mild religious curiosity by listening to the preaching of John, he isn’t converted. 

Sin number one.

Then Herod invites his friends to his birthday party. What starts out as a celebration of life quickly turns into a banquet of death. Herod drinks until he’s drunk.

Sin number two.

Then his step-daughter enters and performs a highly suggestive dance. Moved by pride, he offers her anything she wants, even half of his kingdom. To his surprise she asks for the head of John the Baptist.

Too afraid of disappointing his guests, Herod has an innocent man killed. Sin number three.

Here we find the snowball effect of sin – Herod’s hardened heart leads to adultery, drunkenness, pride, and ultimately murder.

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While you and I can hardly identify with such severity, Herod’s life is a warning to us all. 

If there’s an area in our lives where sin is going unchecked – whether it’s dishonesty, addiction, lust, greed, or whatever else – we should make positive changes now. Otherwise, it can snowball into something even bigger.

May John pray for us, that his preaching of repentance will change us all for the better.

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Image credits: (1) All That’s Interesting (2) St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness, Bosch (3) Nature’s Gourmet Farm