"Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch"
How great was Christ's courtesy! This Peter who spoke these words was once a fisherman and in our day a public speaker deserves high praise if he is able to converse with a fisherman! Addressing the first Christians the apostle Paul says: "Brothers and sisters, remember what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise according to human standards; not many of you were influential or of noble birth. But God chose what the world regards as weak in order to disconcert the strong; God chose what the world regards as foolish in order to abash the wise; God chose what the world regards as common and contemptible, of no account whatever, in order to overthrow the existing order" (1Cor 1:26-28).
If Christ had first chosen a man skilled in public speaking, such a man might well have said: "I have been chosen on account of my eloquence." If he had chosen a senator, the senator might have said: "I have been chosen because of my rank" If his first choice had been an emperor, the emperor surely might have said: "I have been chosen for the sake of the power I have at my disposal." Let these worthies keep quiet and defer to others; let them hold their peace for a while. I am not saying they should be passed over or despised; I am simply asking all those who can find any grounds for pride in what they are to give way to others just a little.
Christ says: Give me this fisherman, this man without education or experience, this man to whom no senator would deign to speak, not even if he were buying fish. Yes, give me him; once I have taken possession of him, it will be obvious that it is I who am at work in him. Although I mean to include senators, orators, and emperors among my recruits . . . I shall still be surer of the fisherman. The senator can always take pride in what he is; so can the orator and the emperor, but the fisherman can glory in nothing except Christ alone. Any of these other men may come and take lessons from me in the importance of humility for salvation, but let the fisherman come first.
GOSPEL COMMENTARY LK 5:1-11
Out of the pain of childbirth comes new life, so from the difficulties of our life comes our vocation.
In our first reading, King Uzziah of Israel had died. During his half-century reign, he had brought Israel prosperity and strength. Then, toward the end of his life, he tried to usurp the role of the temple priesthood. It led to a bad end. Isaiah witnessed all this. In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah received a mission while in the temple to speak God's word of truth to people in the corridors of power. From the confusion and pains of Uzziah's last years, Isaiah's mission was born -- to speak truth to power.
St. Paul was an educated Pharisee blending the cultures of Rome, Greece and Judaism. He had been sent to arrest Jewish people who had become Christians. While on the way for this persecution, he had his Damascus experience -- a wrenching, blinding call to a new direction for his life no longer as a persecutor but as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Out of this sudden and dramatic reorientation of his life came a new mission to bring the Gospel not to the Jews but to Galatians, Thessalonians, Romans, Ephesians, Corinthians and Philippians. From this rupture in his life, St. Paul's mission was born -- to bring the Gospel to a cosmopolitan audience.
Peter had been a natural leader. He and others had been fishing all night but caught nothing. The Lord told him, "Put out into deep waters." Then, there was a great catch of fish. The Lord's words have been a profound source for reflection for the church in every age. Jesus' directive here is not geographical. It is a call to be bold in our discipleship. No one follows a shallow or hesitant leader. No one wants to be part of a shallow or hesitant community. These words were directed specifically to Peter and to his successors and to all of us. To Peter and to those who would succeed him, the Lord says, "Be bold in your discipleship." And so from Peter's hesitation was born the call to be courageous -- to launch out into the deep waters.
What was true of Isaiah, Paul and Peter can be true of ourselves.
From pain, frustration, disappointment and hesitation can come the birth of a vocation. The call or vocation from God is not like the old "blue plate special" in diners of years ago, the same meal for everybody with no variations. Out of the particular circumstances of our life rises our personal call.
The Lord calls us in the circumstances where we are. Most of us are not called to speak Christ's truth to the people of distant and exotic lands. Ours can be the more difficult task of speaking the Gospel to our family. Some of us may be called to bring the Gospel to the world of politics. Maybe we are called to speak of Christ to our friends. Maybe we are called to bring the light of Christ to social media -- what retired Pope Benedict called the "digital continent" that is wide open for our missionary work.
The Lord also calls us from within our experience. A person who has been an addict, who lost a child, who experienced betrayal, who has battled cancer, who has been the victim of gossip is especially equipped to walk the path of recovery and healing with another.
Finally, the Lord calls us with the faith we have. Isaiah, St. Paul and St. Peter all acknowledged their sinfulness. Yet God used them in a powerful way. The Lord calls us with the faith we have and gives us the grace we need.
When we feel discouraged, inadequate, hesitant, disappointed or a failure, we should not be afraid. We are experiencing the birth of a vocation.
Fr. Krempa is pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester.