Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus calls us all to be fishers of men. Like Peter, Andrew, James, and John, we are being asked to be willing to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and to trust that the plan God has prepared for us is the best one. We might not have to leave everything we know behind like the apostles did, but we should be willing to do so if that is God’s Will. We have to be willing to sacrifice our jobs, our families, our worldly possessions, and anything else that might stand in the way of following Christ. It is not an easy path to heaven, but it is the most rewarding way to live.

Have we answered Jesus’ call to holiness? Are we willing to sacrifice everything for God? How are we acting like fishers of men?

O Lord, make us fishers of men.

Amen.

Third Sunday of Easter

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

After denying Jesus three times, discovering the empty tomb of Jesus, and being visited by Jesus on two occasions, Peter decides to go out fishing. Peter used to be a fisherman. He’s familiar with the life of a fisherman and he probably would find great comfort in doing something that is “normal” after the events following Jesus’ Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Sometimes when we go through difficult times or times of great change, we have a tendency to seek out the familiar and attempt to rediscover our comfort zone. However, just like Peter, we can discover that our old life isn’t as fulfilling as it was. We’ve changed too much. Something within us has been transformed so utterly by an experience that our old lives aren’t rewarding anymore. It is at this point that we have the opportunity to grow as individuals and accept our new callings. We might not understand what exactly God is asking of us, but as long as we are willing to make up for our previous denials, procrastination, and hesitancy, then we shall find a new way to live. We shall be able love God as we should and take the first steps to feeding and tending His flock in our own unique fashions.

Do we love God more than all the people and things of this world? Are we willing to feed and tend God’s flock on this earth with the time, treasures, and talents He has given us? What changes is God asking us to make in our own lives?

O Lord, you know that we love you.

Amen.

Friday in the Octave of Easter

When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.

When the disciples arrive on shore with their fish, they find Jesus with fish and bread already cooking on a charcoal fire. Jesus has prepared them a meal for his disciples after their long night of catching nothing. And so he has not only helped them catch their haul of fish, but also prepared a meal for them as well. What is even more interesting is that Jesus then has his disciples bring some of their own fish and add it to the fire, and then when all is prepared he shares the bread and fish with everyone. These symbolic acts help us to understand what it means to be Disciples of Christ. First, although we might feel abandoned and powerless, Jesus is always near and ready to help us. He will send us inspirations through the Holy Spirit that will help us to know where to cast the nets of our lives. He will give us all the graces we need to reap the rewards he has prepared for us. He will give us nourishment through his sacraments, especially through the Eucharist feast. He will share himself with us so we can share our faith with others and become fishers of men. With the help of these graces, we shall be able to add to the heavenly banquet through our thoughts, words, and works and partake in its bounty.

What graces has Jesus prepared for us as his disciples? In what ways do our lives fulfill our calling to be fishers of men? What are our contributions to the heavenly banquet?

O Lord, give us the guidance we need to be able to bring you the hearts and minds of others by weaving our lives into a net of faith, hope, and love.

Amen.

The Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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 likewise 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.

Just like Peter, we can sometimes feel so unworthy of God’s Love and Mercy we can close ourselves off to Him. We can become afraid that we are too sinful for God to forgive, but His Divine Mercy is endless and nothing we think, say, or do is unforgivable if we seek God’s forgiveness with truly contrite hearts. And when we do seek God’s Mercy, we have nothing to be afraid of because God loves us all. He proved that by sending His Beloved Son to us as our Savior and our exemplar. The net of Jesus’ grace is always ready to catch us. We have only to allow ourselves to be caught by him. Then, just as Jesus fished us out of our sinful lives, so we can become fishers of men with him and allow him to use us as a net to save other souls.

What can we do to welcome Jesus into our lives? How can we cast off our feelings of sinfulness and fear and follow Jesus’ example of virtue and courage? Are we willing to leave everything behind and become fishers of men?

O Lord, make us good and faithful fishers of men.

Amen.

First Monday of Ordinary Time

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We are all called to become fishers of men in our own way. Some of us are called to be fishers of our families to our parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Some of us are called to be fishers to our fellow children of God through priesthood or religious orders. Some of us are called to be fishers of the lost, lonely, sorrowful, and needy through volunteering and ministry. Whatever our calling might be, we all have the option to respond to it with a yes or a no. God never forces us to do good, He wants us to choose what's right because we desire to do good in imitation of Him. The disciples said yes to Jesus when he called them and left behind their old lives. Others said no for various reasons from selfishness to disbelief. We, too, face this choice every day of our lives and hopefully we choose to cast our nets into the ocean of God’s Love and Mercy and not into the sea of worldliness.

Are we following Jesus where he wants us to go? Are we willing to walk away from the world and become fishers of men? Who are we being called to fish for in our lives?

O Lord, make us fishers of men.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

It sounds so easy for Peter, Andrew, James, and John to leave everything behind and follow Jesus, but how many of us would do the same? We have so many responsibilities, doubts, fears, and distractions that it’s almost impossible to think of leaving them all behind and starting over with Christ. However, sometimes in our lives God calls us to move out of our comfort zones and leave everything we known in order to do His Will. We can always deny Jesus by claiming we already do this or that, or have too much on our plates, or make some other excuse to keep ourselves from being led to where we do not want to go. These moments of selfishness tempt us away from God’s Divine Plan. We must recognize that in order to be true disciples of Christ, we need to be willing to follow him away from everything we know and hold dear. We must be willing to sacrifice ourselves. Otherwise we will never reach our full potential as Christians and we will be the lesser for it.

What is keeping us from following Jesus? Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves for God and His children? How are we preparing ourselves to be fishers of men?

O Lord, give us the grace to leave everything and follow you.

Amen.

Friday in the Octave of Easter

"Children, have you caught anything to eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something." So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.

Children. What a wonderfully loving way to address his disciples! And the amazing thing is he calls us his children, too. Just like he asked his disciples if they have caught anything, he also asks us what we have been doing. Our own endeavors don’t always turn out how we want them and sometimes we fail. When we do have trials, God is there to give us advice and points us in the right direction. All we have to do is cast ourselves at the spot He points to and pull in our nets. He wants us to thrive, and not just survive. So the next time we feel like we are getting nowhere fast, perhaps we should look toward the heavenly shore for guidance.

What are we doing with our lives? If we are going through a rough patch, what can we do to turn over our troubles to God? Do we listen to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and cast our nets where He directs us?

O Lord, help us to live lives focused on becoming fishers of men.

Amen.

First Monday of Ordinary Time

Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Jesus calls all of us to be fishers of men. He asks us to repent and believe in the Gospel. If we do these things then we can be His disciples. Being a fisherman takes a great deal of patience and fortitude and as fishers of men we too will need all the patience and fortitude we can get. When we follow in the footsteps of Jesus we are asked to take on this task and do it to the best of our ability. We must also be aware of our surroundings, the signs that tell us when and where the greatest spiritual catch might be. Let us hope we are aware of these opportunities in our lives and make the most of them from this day forth.

In what ways have we been faithful fishers of men? In what ways have we failed at this calling? Are we willing to follow Jesus even if doing so leads to a place we do not want to go?

O Lord, we want to follow you and become a fisher of men. Grant us the grace and the faith to walk where you need us to be.

Amen.