Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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Today Jesus tells Peter to put out into the deep for a catch of fish.
Remember that Peter did not yet know who Jesus was. So, here was a carpenter telling him, a fisherman, how to fish.
Still, there was something about Jesus. His authority. His clarity, His certainty. And Peter, having been working hard all night with nothing to show for it, said, “At your command I will lower the nets.”
What a catch Peter caught that day!
Two things. First Jesus was in the boat with Peter. Peter allowed the Lord to be with him. And, second, Peter listened to him. That combination led to success.
Jesus urges us all to go out into the deep with him.
The deep can be a scary place. It is far from shore. It is not always safe there. It can get confusing without any landmarks to give direction. You can’t just jump into the shallows and walk back to what is comfortable and familiar.
Yet, if Jesus is with us — especially when the day gets long and failure seems to abound — then Jesus will provide what we need, be it direction, the calming of a storm, or in giving some good advice along the way. Trust in Jesus! This is the lesson learned by those who go deeper with Christ in their daily, personal, and prayer lives.
And, once out in the deep, the best thing to do is to listen to Jesus. He will tell us when and where to cast our nets. In fact, the Lord is constantly directing us, like a good captain should.
There is that bumper sticker that says, “God is my co-pilot.” But I read another bumper sticker that said, “If God is your co-pilot, change seats.”
If God is our captain, then we are his crew. There will come a time when he calls on us to do something special for him. For me, it was to be a priest — and now a bishop. For others it might be to raise a family in the faith or teach in a Catholic school or take care of the poor in a more intentional way. There are many ways that Jesus calls us to announce his Good News to others. But when the call comes, and however that call comes, we will recognize that he is asking us to go out into the deep with him. We will also recognize how unworthy we are of that call.
That is why he says to us, “Do not be afraid.” He is with us in the boat. All we have to do is follow his direction.
Have a blessed week everyone.