Browsing Reflections

Fr. Jo's Reflection for the 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr C, February 6, 2022

One of the primary decisions someone starting a business makes is to choose partners who will serve as both founding members, associates and employees. In a style characteristic of Luke, Jesus goes out in search of partners and wouldn’t pick them from among the armchair professors or the rabbis who knew the law and taught in the synagogues. His audience is found among the poor, the outcasts, the prisoners, the downtrodden, and the street people. Only people who have experienced harsh conditions, and, as Pope Francis says, smell like the sheep, would qualify as carriers of this new message. He goes in search of fishermen. Yes, fishermen. It was a strategic decision for many reasons. Fishermen in Jesus’ time worked long hours; were often sleep-deprived, sometimes “working all night” (Lk 5:4); mingled with common folks at the marketplaces where they sold fish; have access to important places—providing fish for the royal and priestly tables (Jn 18:16); have encounters with spirits and ghosts (Mtt 14: 26), etc. Every experience needed for handing on this new message can be found among fishermen. The new fishers of men will spend long hours sailing to distant lands, give up the luxury of sleep and recreation, take the good news to towns and marketplaces, deliver the message to people in high and low places—to kings, rulers and world bodies, and be prepared for the spiritual combat to which the message opens them.

Yet, their humanity is always the Achilles’ heel for those invited to fish men and women for God. Isaiah was called to fish for God the stiff-necked eight century BC inhabitants of Judah. He found himself before the all-encompassing holiness of God and his sinfulness was revealed. Paul repeatedly cried about his sinfulness, insisting that he was not worthy to be called an apostle given that he persecuted the Church. Peter, with his fishermen buddies, was awestruck by the miraculous catch of fish and became aware of his humanity and sinfulness. “Depart from me,” he cried, “for I am a sinful man”. The closer we draw to the light, the more the dirt in us is revealed. Our eyes will become blinded the closer they get to the sun. Before the All Holy God, we are only dusts and rubble. And only He can rehabilitate us when we listen to him and lay down our net, our pride, our indiscretion, our ego, and our sinfulness.

Often we fail to follow the promptings of faith because we feel we have mastery over events in our daily life. With a little knowledge of how the world works, we feel so competent and informed that some question the truth of faith. We become wiser when we come to appreciate, like Peter, that our knowledge of catching fish is nothing compared to that of the One who made the fish (McKarns). Our knowledge of science cannot pair in comparison with that of the originator of the laws of science and the maker of the material and supernatural universe. The expression “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord” is spoken by us in prayer to God, to declare in the superlative degree His immense glory and our humility and finiteness. The expression “Lay Down Your Net” is spoken by God to give us help in our weakness. Hence, when we have labored in vain, His merciful love comes to renew our strength and assure us that trusting in Him we can be astonished.

The huge catch of fish was not only the result of the command to lay down the net; it was, according to Gregory of Nyssa, a revelation that “the voice of the Word is the voice of power, at whose bidding, light and other creatures came forth.” At the bidding of the Word of Life, fishermen would turn to fishers of men. The conclusion of this episode could hardly be more emphatic; hence, they forsook all and followed him (Lk 5:11). All who make sincere effort to follow His word can overcome their past and make a fresh beginning. May we appreciate His smiling wisdom and lower our nets!

Fr. Chukwudi Jo Okonkwo

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