Casting our Nets into the Deep with God's Touch

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Cycle C - February 06, 2022

Readings: Isaiah 6:1–8; Psalm 138:1–5, 7–8; 1 Corinthians 15:1–11; Luke 5:1–11

Jesus helping the disciples to cast their net into the deep
To listen to my audio-video reflections on YouTube please click here

We are already in the second month of the year, that is February. As time moves faster, we are challenged every day to keep chasing it with our life and all that life brings with it. For our good fortune, we have been reading the scripture and other spiritual literature that might help us to live worthy of our calling. In fact, during this week we read the fascinating life of King David and his household. We also celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple this week, which was also celebrated as World Day of Consecrated Life. Our Lord is inviting us that we may all of us both religious and laypeople to participate in the life of consecration of Jesus that is holy, pure, sublime, dedicated, devout, happy and venerable life. In fact, this leads us to enter into a very important facet of our lives as Christians that is to live in Christ. 

1. Jesus lets you cast your nets

Let's begin our journey with Jesus in and around the lake of Gennesaret as today's reading suggests (Luke 5:1–11). In the olden days, the water containment zones like streams, wells, tanks, dams, rivers, lakes, etc., gathered people for various purposes. Jesus too makes use of such places as we see in the Gospels. Today we see him at the lake not only teaching people by sitting in Peter's boat but also listening to those fishermen's woes for they had caught nothing in spite of slogging the whole night in the lake. Towards the end of the reading, we see Jesus inviting, Peter, James and John to be his disciples. 

Jesus is a keen observer and avid listener. We see both things today. Who does not like to hear a person when he listens to the woes of people and suggests alternative methods of fixing their problems? After working the whole night, Peter and his company caught no fish and with gloom and weariness, they are washing the nets. It was a damp squib catch. A complete loss of nights' labour and with no income in hand Peter answers Jesus wearily,  “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word, I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5). We can see the hopeless and helpless situation of Peter and is ready for anything. No one is fit to be called a disciple of Jesus but the grace of God is sufficient to carry and be an ardent follower of our Lord. God knows how to perfect us for his mission and use us for His service in spite of our infidelity and weakness. God never gives you more than you can handle. 

2. Let's cast our nets into the deep and wide

Perhaps that is what our life is also. We struggle ceaselessly, work hard but no results, spend time studying endlessly and sleepless nights but without success or good marks, empty our pockets and sometimes the whole household in paying the bills for medicines and fixing our chronic illnesses and pathological conditions with only deterioration and death, participate in endless job interviews but no good jobs at sight, work diligently but no pay hikes or promotions, pray everyday, spend time in liturgies, pilgrimages and penances and no graces or no favours from God and saints. Everything seems to be empty, useless, pointless, a waste of energy and feels like burying one's head in the sand. 

That is the time the Lord says if we are ready to listen to him, cast your nets down, put into the deep and you will catch everything; you will have enough for you and your posteriority. Jesus invites then to give him real space, a space where he can sit and talk to you candidly. As St. Jean-Baptiste Marie Vianney said, “God requires of very few the martyrdom of the body; he requires of all the martyrdom of the heart and the Will.” Am I ready to surrender my heart and Will to God? Am I ready to offer him or forgo my laziness, carelessness, lethargies, indifference and passivity? In fact, Jesus chooses us in our dire situations, in our ordinariness. God's call comes to us when we are too busy or lost in our world of weariness and fatigue, discouragement and when you feel being destroyed, when we feel insecure, immature and not ready.   Are we ready to put our deep trust in the Lord and give our nets to him? Let us throw ourselves into his net boldly once and for all. 

3. Allow for God's touch, forgiveness and a call

Prophet Isaiah says "He touched my mouth with it, and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged” (Isaiah 6:7). A person who always felt “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5) suddenly recognizes that "for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” In spite of his unworthiness, low esteem, fragility, limitedness and vulnerability, Isaiah is a new person when he opens himself to the Lord of Hosts. He begins to trust in him in spite of his wickedness and stupidity, lack of vigour and closed mentality, God gives a new lease of life. Isaiah's lips are touched, his guilt is taken away, his sins are forgiven and he is chosen to be a prophet of God forever. In fact, Isaiah becomes one of the most promising prophets of all time, even to the extent that in the whole of Old Testament, his prophecies are much more closer and true concerning the life of Jesus Christ. 

Both Prophet Isaiah and apostle Peter are confronted with the holiness of the old. Overwhelmed by a sense of their unworthiness, sinfulness and inadequacy they listen to their master and become His close followers. God knows to bring best out of our nothingness and emptiness. Listening is difficult. We are better at talking. All the more, we are good at listening, or hearing what we want to hear. The only thing that we need to do is to surrender our weakness and stubbornness, frailty and inefficiency at the Lord's feet with humility and meekness. And He fills it with His strength and grace. Therefore, we need to grow in the humility of Peter that in spite of him being a professional fisherman was ready to listen to Jesus in casting his net. Jesus transforms and empowers us when we let ourselves placed in his palms as the Psalmist says, "when I called, you answered me; you built up strength within me." "Your right hand saves me. The LORD will complete what he has done for me; your kindness, O LORD, endures forever" (Psalm 138:3, 7-8). Intimacy with God is achieved only by throwing ourselves into the hands of our Lord God. May we take this step boldly today.  

Questions for reflections
1. What does it mean to be holy and be in a holy place?

2. Often our excessive sense of guilt and obscure unworthiness dupes us just like Isaiah. What are the root causes of such feelings which might not allow you to be free to receive the closeness of God?

3. Can you put within yourself the words of God to Isaiah, “Your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out?” What sense do you make for yourself, out of these words for your life and of others? 

Prayer:

Gracious Lord, look upon me, and let all the darkness of my soul vanish before the beams of your brightness. Fill me with holy love, and open to me the treasures of your wisdom. All my desire is known to you alone; therefore perfect what you have begun, and what your Spirit has awakened me to ask in prayer.

I seek your face, O Lord, turn your face unto me and show me your glory. Then shall my longing be satisfied, and my peace shall be perfect. Make me and all who confess your holy name people of this light. Make me faithful to your Word that I may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

4 February 2022