Today’s Gospel tells us of a moment that changed the lives of several ordinary
fishermen forever. Simon Peter, James, and John had spent the night fishing,
but they had caught nothing. They were tired, disappointed, and ready to go
home.
And then Christ came to them. Our Lord entered Simon Peter’s boat and
asked him to put out a little from the shore. From that boat, Christ taught the
people. And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon: “Launch out
into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we
have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let
down the net.”
That word—“nevertheless”--is at the heart of today’s Gospel. Peter had
experience. He knew fishing. He knew that they had worked all night. He
knew that the conditions were not promising. Everything from human
experience told him that there was little reason to try again. But Peter says, in
effect: Nevertheless, Lord, because You have spoken, I will trust You.
And when they let down the nets, they caught such a great multitude of fish
that the nets began to break. This miracle is not simply about catching fish. It is
about learning to trust the word of Christ when our own strength, experience,
and understanding tell us something different.
How often in our own lives do we feel like Peter? We work, we struggle, we
pray, and yet sometimes nothing seems to change. We may feel that we have
been “fishing all night” and have nothing to show for it. We become tired. We
become discouraged. We begin to wonder whether our prayers are being heard.
But the Gospel reminds us that Christ is not absent from our struggle.
Notice something important: Christ does not call Peter when the nets are full.
He calls him when the nets are empty. Peter encounters Christ not in a moment
of earthly success, but in a moment of disappointment.
This is often how God works in our lives. We imagine that we must first
become successful, strong, holy, or worthy, and then Christ will come near to us. But the Gospel shows us the opposite. Christ comes to us in our weakness. He enters our ordinary lives.
He steps into Peter’s boat. And that boat becomes the place where Peter
encounters God. Our own “boat” may be our family, our workplace, our parish,
our daily responsibilities, or even the difficulties we carry silently in our hearts.
Christ comes into those places. He does not wait for our lives to become perfect before He calls us.
And when Christ calls, He asks us to launch out into the deep. The deep can
be frightening. The shallow water feels safer because we can see the bottom.
We feel that we are in control. But faith requires us to trust Christ beyond what
we can see. To launch into the deep means to leave behind our dependence upon ourselves and to place our confidence in God. Peter does not understand everything. He simply obeys. And that obedience opens the way for a miracle. But notice what happens immediately after the miraculous catch. Peter falls down at Jesus’ knees and says: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” Peter recognizes something greater than the miracle itself. He recognizes the holiness of Christ—and in the light of Christ’s holiness, he
suddenly sees himself more clearly. This is what happens when we truly
encounter God. The closer we draw to Christ, the more clearly we see our own
sins, weaknesses, and shortcomings.
But this recognition is not meant to lead us to despair. Peter says, “I am a
sinful man,” but Christ does not reject him. Instead, Jesus says: “Do not be
afraid. From now on you will catch men.” What beautiful words: “Do not be afraid."
Peter sees his unworthiness, but Christ sees his calling. Peter sees his
sinfulness, but Christ sees what he can become by the grace of God. And this is
also true for us. Perhaps we sometimes think, “I am not holy enough. I have
failed too many times. I have made too many mistakes. How could God use
someone like me? The answer of the Gospel is: Do not be afraid.
Christ does not call perfect people. He calls sinners who are willing to repent
and follow Him. Peter, James, and John were not angels. They were ordinary
men. They had fears, weaknesses, and limitations. Yet when Christ called
them, they “forsook all and followed Him.”
That is the final lesson of today’s Gospel. Following Christ requires more
than admiring Him. It requires trust. It requires obedience. And ultimately, it
requires surrender. The fishermen had their boats, their nets, their livelihood,
and their plans. But when Christ called them they understood that they had
discovered something greater than all of these things. They discovered Christ.
And this is the question placed before every Christian: What are we willing to
leave behind in order to follow Him: Perhaps it is a sinful habit. Perhaps it is
resentment. Perhaps it is pride. Perhaps it is our desire to control everything.
Perhaps it is fear about the future. Christ says to each of us: “Do not be afraid.
Launch out into the deep.” Trust Me. Follow Me. Let Me lead you where you
cannot yet see.
Dear brothers and sisters, there will be times when our nets seem empty.
There will be times when our prayers seem unanswered and our efforts seem
fruitless. But the Christian life is not built upon what we can see. It is built
upon the faithfulness of Christ. Peter said, “Nevertheless at Your word I will let
down the net.” May those words become our own prayer. When we are
discouraged: Nevertheless. Lord, at Your word. When we are afraid:
Nevertheless, Lord, at Your word. When we do not understand what God is
doing: Nevertheless Lord, at your word.
And when Christ calls us to go deeper in faith, deeper in prayer, deeper in
repentance, and deeper in love, may we have the courage to leave the shallow
waters behind and follow Him. For the same Christ who called Peter, James,
and John calls each one of us. He comes into our boat. He speaks His word.
And He says: “Do not be afraid.”
May we trust Him, obey Him, and follow Him all the days of our lives, so that
by His grace we may become worthy servants of His Kingdom. Amen.