[Salvation]

Sunday Gospel Reflections

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Is 6:1-8 II: 1Cor 15:1-11

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Gospel
Luke 5:1-11

¹ While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret.
² And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
⁴ And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
⁵ And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets."
⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking,
⁷ they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."
⁹ For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken;
¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men."
¹¹ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

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Interesting Details

• The "word of God", the introduction of this term at the beginning of the episode signals that the calling of the fishermen and their response is an occasion of the effective proclamation of the Good News.
• Of the two boats, Jesus selected Simon's, here the spotlight is on Simon Peter who would later lead the early Church, but his companions are always in the shadows, ready to help.
• Simon's boat is seen as a symbol of the pilgrim Church on earth. Jesus gets into the boat in order to teach the crowds and from the bark of Peter, the Church, He continues to teach the whole world.
• Simon's reply to Jesus, stating the difficulties of not catching anything, is a reasonable enough answer. For fishing was best at night, and if nothing had been caught by then, daytime fishing was useless.
• The vastness of the catch is a symbol of the nations to whom the gospel will be preached.
• Shifting from "Master" to "Lord", Peter realized that Jesus is more than a rabbi.
• "Henceforth" or "from now on" is a Lucan phrase denoting the beginning of a new period of salvation.

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One Main Point

God's invitation to each of us to participate with him in bringing his message of salvation to all mankind. The only baggage needed in following his calling is to put our trust in him.

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Reflections

1. How would we respond when Jesus chose to come on board our boat and instructed us to cast out our nets for a catch?
2. Would we be ready to give up everything like Peter, James and John to do what God's calling involved?
3. What did Jesus perceive when he said to Simon "do not be afraid," why did he say that? What could we be afraid of?

[Salvation]

Sunday, February 10, 2013
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel:

Isaiah 6:1-2, 3-8 Psalm 138:1-5, 7-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or 15:3-8, 11 Luke 5:1-11 Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are. -- Gaudium et Spes