Thursday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time Year 2 2024

Title

Launching out into the deep with Jesus

Outline

If there was anything that Peter knew it was how to fish

He knew fish were closer to the surface at night; he knew they were not during storms; he knew how to handle a net; and he also knew how to handle a boat.

So when this teacher, Jesus, who interested him and who had asked his help in using his boat as a pulpit then told him to go out into deep water and lower his nets he knew it was a crazy idea. The teacher was from Nazareth, high on an inland ridge. He had no experience of fishing. And he obviously did not know that it was the wrong time to fish. Besides, after fishing all night and catching nothing, Peter knew there were no fish around to catch.

But he liked Jesus and his teaching intrigued him, so he probably though, “Lowering the nets once more won’t cost more than a bit of effort. I’ll humor him.” “At your command I will lower the nets.”

Imagine his shock when the lines pulled tight, the nets were too heavy to pull in, and even when his partners launched and got there enough fish were in the nets to overfill both boats. Peter realizes that he is face to face with deity in some fashion and realizes he is unworthy. “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But then the divine Lord says in effect, “I have a better plan, a plan of grace.” “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Far from departing, I am taking you with me.

I am sure Peter did not know what “catching men” meant nor why Jesus would want him, Peter, along on his mission, but he walked away from all he had ever known and followed Jesus whom he knew he had never really known at all until that event in the boat.

Now you understand Paul

The more you think you know how to live life or how the world runs, the more of a fool you are in God’s eyes. We are like a caterpillar crawling along a line not knowing that there is an up, another dimension. And there is a whole other starting place for thought.

I am reading a book, Citizens Yet Strangers, and it points out that our whole political and social system is built on the philosophy of Descartes, Locke, and Hume, which start with the human individual and therefore talk about human rights. Keith Craycraft proposes that Catholics should think from Catholic Social Teaching which starts with creation by God and humans as stewards of creation, designed for community, and so forth.

Therefore Catholics who think like Catholics seem to be crazy, fools to the world, just as Jesus is often thought to be a fool (“love your enemies”). But in fact in God’s eyes they are wise, for they have their minds transformed to be in tune with the creator and realize that “everything belongs to you . . . and you to Christ, and Christ to God.”

Thus we are willing to be looked on as crazy, to, like Peter, leave all we know to follow Christ, so that we might become one with Christ and in that become one with God.