Daily Mass Gospel Reflection - Deeper Water Spirituality

Word on Fire Ministry ^ | .9..1.22 | Bishop Robert Barron

[MurphsLaw]

TWENTY-SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

LUKE 5:1–11

Friends, today’s Gospel gives us the story of the miraculous draught of fishes.
In many ways, the whole of the spiritual life can be read off of this piece.

Without being invited, Jesus simply gets into the fisherman’s boat.
This is to insinuate himself in the most direct way into Simon’s life.
And without further ado, he begins to give orders, first asking Simon to put out from the shore
and then to go out into the deep.
This represents the invasion of grace. The single most important decision that you will ever make is this:
Will you cooperate with Jesus once he decides to get into your boat?

In many ways, everything else in your life is secondary, is commentary.
When the Lord Jesus Christ gets into your boat,
he will always lead you to the depths.
Duc in altum, as St. John Paul II loved to quote.
More dangerous? Yes. More exciting? Yes.

Now, mind you, the depths we’re talking about here are spiritual depths.
The excitement we’re talking about is the true excitement that comes from spiritual transformation.
The depths have nothing to do with what the world considers important or exciting.

[MurphsLaw]

+++ While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus
and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."
Simon said in reply,
"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught
nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets."
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men."
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.+++