From Failure to Abundance: Trusting in God's Grace

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time: February 09, 2025

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

What do we do when we are in distress? Complain or get angry or depressed, or point at others that this is because of someone else or say to oneself that I am good for nothing, feel embarrassed or feeling of low? Our distress can manifest in many ways. But if we have that positive outlook and strong willpower even any sort of failures could be turned into moments of learning and embark on a journey that might be different from what one must have embarked upon. The liturgical readings on this 5th Sunday of the year tell us that only in God we can find our perfect refuge. It is God who calls us. He will give everything in need even in times of distress or failure.  

1. The Call to Trust in God's Word

We have a beautiful incident that occurred in the Lake of Gennesaret Luke 5:1–11 where Jesus is sitting in the boat and teaching the crowd. What follows next is really fascinating. Jesus wants to go fishing with his disciples and the response of St Peter is of distress and failure. Peter and his companions had spent the entire night fishing but caught nothing. They were exhausted and discouraged. Now the words of Jesus strike not only Peter even the fish to fill the net. "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch," he obeyed despite his doubts. The result was an overwhelming abundance of fish in the net!

Often we are like Peter—tired, disheartened, and convinced that our efforts are fruitless?  It affects our families, communities, relationships and even marriages. We feel lost or rejected when people don't respond to us as we would like to. We say this is the end of the world when I don't get good marks in the exams, or pass with low percentage, or when I don't get the job that I am looking for, or when I don't get the match that I'm waiting for, or healing that is not taking place in my body because I have chronic illness. We must get into the logic of Jesus. It is deep and convincing faith must be ours. For God nothing is impossible. If God has created us then He knows how to take care of us. We are not the masters. Even the failures might be good for us. Perhaps something must be in store for us.

2. The Abundance of God’s Grace

The miraculous catch of fish was not just about abundance in material terms. It revealed something deeper—God's limitless generosity. Peter and his companions had only known scarcity, but when Jesus intervened, there was more than enough. God’s grace works in the same way in our lives. He often asks us to go beyond our comfort zones and trust in Him. When we do, we experience an overflow of blessings—not just in material ways, but in peace, joy, and spiritual growth.

In fact, our complaining nature does not allow us to move forward because we believe not in God's providence but in human limitedness. That must be the reason why after witnessing the miracle, Peter fell at Jesus’ feet and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” The encounter with divine power and holiness made Peter painfully aware of his own unworthiness.

3. The Call to Mission is to do God's work

St Paul writing to 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 says "But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain." St Paul is one of the most prominent personalities in the New Testament. His deep personal conviction is that God truly called him to carry out the mission of Jesus in spite of his unworthiness and sinfulness. For him, it is grace—God’s free and transforming love—that reshaped him. This is not a detached, abstract grace. It is a grace that meets him where he is, acknowledges his brokenness, and humanizes him.

To be human is to recognize that we are works in progress, that our past does not define us, and that we are constantly being remade in love. Paul’s story is not about perfection but about transformation. It reminds us that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. The world often measures our worth by achievements, status, or the absence of failure. But the Gospel measures us differently. It tells us that to be fully human is to embrace both our fragility and our potential—to acknowledge that we are dust and yet infinitely beloved. In other words, grace does not erase our history; it redeems it. 

Questions for self-reflection

1. Where is Jesus calling me to trust Him more deeply?
2. Am I willing to go beyond my fears and follow Him?
3. Do we allow grace to humanize us—to make us more compassionate, humble, and whole?

Prayer based on Psalm 138.

Gracious and loving God, with all my heart, I praise You; In Your faithfulness, You have heard my prayers, and in Your love, You have strengthened my soul. Though I walk through trials, I do not fear, For Your hand upholds me, and Your grace surrounds me. You have set a purpose for my life, And I trust that You will bring it to fulfillment.

Lord, let my heart always rejoice in You, and may my life reflect Your boundless mercy. Do not forsake the work of Your hands, for Your love endures forever. I make this prayer in Jesus' Holy Name, Amen.

- Olvin Veigas, SJ

08 February 2025