One day, Jesus was standing by Lake Gennesaret, and the crowd pressed in on
him to hear the word of God. He saw two boats moored by the side of the lake;
the fishers had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Jesus stepped into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and
asked him to pull out a short distance from the shore; then,
remaining seated, he continued to teach the crowds from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Pull out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon answered, "Rabbi, we've been working hard all night long
and have caught nothing; but if you say so, I'll lower the nets."
Upon doing so, they caught such a great number of fish that their nets
were at the breaking point. They signaled to their mates in the other boat
to come and help them, and together they filled the two boats
until they both nearly sank.
After Simon saw what happened, he was filled with awe
and fell down before Jesus, saying,
"Leave me, Rabbi, for I'm a sinner."
For Simon and his shipmates were astonished at the size of the catch they had made,
as were James and John, Zebedee's sons, who were Simon's partners.
Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you'll fish among humankind."
And when they brought their boats to shore, they left everything
and followed him.
Luke 5: 1-11 - The Inclusive New Testament
The apostles had to follow Jesus for three years before being able to start a Church and to change the world. How long have I been following Christ, and what have I done with my life?
Have I followed Christ's commands - so simple, yet so hard: "Pull into the deep water and drop your nets" and "Don't be afraid."? When I am in the deep waters of unknowing but continue on, when I am called to follow blindly what human reason tells me will not work, then I am indeed following God's call in my everyday life. When Something tells me to stop and help a person in a parking lot or on a bus bench, I am answering God's Call. When I feel drawn to step out and begin working for (or against) just a small bit of the suffering that this world is offering right now, I am answering God's Call.
But even more importantly, do I see the Face of Christ in the people I help? Do I see His Hands when I place water and a snack into the outstretched arms of someone begging on a corner? How wide do I spread the net of Jesus's love for all of humanity? Do I only hear God's Call to help people who look and live just like me? Or do I spread the net of God's Love to feed and serve, clothe and shelter, offer peace and visit all of the ones that God created - Everyone? How can I begin to answer God's Call? How can I go deeper into answering God's Call?
How large is your net? How deep are the waters that you go out into? How much trust do you put into Christ's commands, knowing you are doing the will of His Father? I challenge us to sit with these questions today.
May your heart be open to God's continuous call.
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