The gospel account of the miraculous catch of fish by Peter and his companions is a moving story. It shows the importance of obedience. When Jesus asked Peter to go out to the sea, Peter has a justifiable excuse, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” Peter was understandably tired and downcast about the lack of any fish after their long night of effort. But notice, he is willing to be obedient to Jesus. Maybe in the back of his mind is the thought, “this is pointless, but I’ll do what you say.” And lo and behold, they caught so many fish that their nets were at the breaking point! God can, and often does, reward our obedience to him. The size of the catch led to a conversion moment for Peter who says, “Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” From his obedience, Peter learns humility. This lesson of humility would be one Peter would need to learn a couple of times. But notice, he and James and John immediately left their nets and followed Jesus. Jesus showed them a deeper purpose and meaning to their lives. No longer would they be just simple fishermen. But now, they would be fishers of men. Gathering souls for Christ. Their lives would be irrevocably changed by this encounter with Jesus.
Sometimes, all the Lord asks of us is our trust and obedience. This obedience can be difficult when it seems to go against our experience. But through obedience, the Lord teaches us humility and can reveal the deeper purpose and meaning of our lives as well.
I will be taking some much-needed time off this week for a little rest and relaxation. I have priests schedule to take the morning masses on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Tuesday will be a communion service. Also, Fr Ternan and Fr Matt will be here next weekend to cover the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning masses. (I will have the 7:30am mass on Sunday.) See you all when I get back.
The Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal is underway. Many of you have probably received a mailing from the diocese asking for your support for the CMAA that does so much good for so many people around the diocese. I will be writing more about the appeal in future letters, but I do ask you to prayerfully consider your gift to this year’s appeal. It is a wonderful way to help support people and programs that go outside of our parish walls.