Can you hear with your eyes, hands, heart or ears that God is calling you?

Good morning, happy Thursday, and many blessings.

In today’s Gospel (Luke 5: 1-11) we have the call of Jesus to Peter. The Gospel of Mark places the call of the first disciples after the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus (Mk ‪1:16-20‬). Luke places it after the fame of Jesus was already extended across the whole region (Lk ‪4:14‬). Jesus had cured many people (Lk ‪4:40‬) and had preached in the synagogues of all Judea (Luke 4:44). The people looked for Him and the crowds pushed Him on all sides in order to hear the Word of God (Luke 5:1). Luke makes the call easier to understand. In the first place, Peter can listen to Jesus’ words to the people, and then he is a witness to the miraculous catch of fish. It is only after this double surprising experience that he understands the call of Jesus. Peter responds. He abandons everything and becomes a “fisher of people.”

However, according to this gospel, when God pursues the frustrated, four things occur… He shows you: How great is his power, how great is your need of His pardon, how crucial it is to adopt His purpose, and how vital it is to value him above all else. In other words, in today's Gospel I can hear the voice of Jesus when he tells me: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch”—and don’t be afraid.

My dear sisters and brothers, I hope you understand that this is not about fishing.  It’s about trusting the power of God to use you in all of your unworthiness to lead others to Jesus Christ and usher in his kingdom in this time and place. Well, don’t just sit there, do it!  Put out into the deep.  Risk sharing your faith with someone this week.  Invite them to come to church with you ‪next Sunday‬ or invite them to participate by zoom in the mass.  You won’t believe the catch that’s waiting for you.

Peter and James and John respond with hearts overflowing with the value of knowing Jesus: “When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.” The text notes that Peter and his companions “forsook all and followed Him” (‪5:11‬). This is what it means to follow Jesus: he is more valuable to us than everything. I count everything as loss compared to knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8).

God often calls us to do things that are often simple for us to do but important to her. The simplest tasks we do for God can result in a revelation, discovery, or even greater faith. Obedience to even the simplest of orders results in great rewards from God.

Once we realize who Jesus is, we can see ourselves in a new light, just like Peter saw Jesus in a new light when he realized who Jesus was. Sometimes that sight is too much for us to handle, but we need to see ourselves in that light so we can be changed by God and be prepared by God for the work he wants us to do. 

Can you hear with your eyes, hands, heart, or ears that God is calling you? Welcome to discipleship.

Blessings

Fr. Luis+