THE WORD
1 Cor 3,18-23 / Lk 5,1-11
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the shermen hadndisembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowd from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and like wisen James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.
IN OTHER WORDS
Wednesday evenings in our major seminary in Tagaytay have always been called “evenings for processing”. Processing of experiences, sharing of insights and giving affirming or corrective feedback are among the happenings during such evenings – all for the seminarians’ greater self-awareness, deepening of religious commitment, and strengthening of faith in pursuit of their religious vocation. Such evenings give them a sense of confidence in their gifts, palpable in the lessening of anxieties over future work as SVD religious-missionaries.
One can feel the fear of Peter in today’s gospel for he believed that he did not have the necessary “stuff ” to be called for a big task and to be one of the companions of Jesus. Being ever impetuous by saying things without thinking first before opening his mouth, coming from a simple, Sherman background, and most probably being older than the other apostles –these, surely, were not good qualifications for a follower of the Master. But our Lord’s words are so reassuring: “Be not afraid.” We can take to heart the same words said to Peter and the rest of the men called on that fateful day on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. You and I have been called to be partakers in the mission of Jesus. You have your gifts and I have mine. Certainly, God has given to each of us such gifts for us to be effective in doing our tasks as co-missionaries of Jesus. Let us take courage then for he is surely with us in our efforts to be his apostles and disciples.
- Fr. Sisoy Cellan, SVD | Kenya
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
