Cycle C - Year II:  

6 February 2022: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 6:1-2. 3-8

Second Reading:   1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (or 15:3-8)

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 5:1-11 

To catch them for God....!

Why do you catch people?  You catch them if they have violated certain laws, like what law enforcers would do.  But you also catch people to have them enjoy or share in the common good, or lead them to God.

In this Sunday's Gospel incident, we will hear about the miraculous catch of fish by Simon-Peter and his companions through the intervention of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel narratives: Our Lord Jesus was preaching to the crowds by the Lake of Gennesaret. The crowds were pressing around Him. To avoid the crush, Jesus decides to get on Simon's boat and pushes out from the shore a little so that He can better address the crowds.     

Today's reading did not present what actually Jesus taught the crowd. And when Jesus was done with His preaching, He said to Simon: "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." (Lk 5:4)

Simon knew that they caught nothing for a whole night of toil. Nonetheless, at Jesus' command he did not hesitate to follow Jesus and said to Him: "At your word I will let down the nets." (Lk 5:5)  Lo and behold, they caught a great number of fish that their nets were tearing. So they signaled to their companions in the other boat to help them with the big catch of fish.

How do we make of this miraculous catch of fish?  Well, this incident conveys an important truth on how God works in and through us for His glory.  Because God expects of us greater things than we can do by ourselves. When we fully cooperate in His works, we accomplish far beyond what we can do on our own or by ourselves.  It is then a partnership with God, if you wish to call that way, that makes great things possible for His kingdom.

There is a valuable lesson to learn from today's Scripture reading for our Christian living. When we meet disappointments and failures in practical life, do we just complain and give up on the Lord? Or we keep faith and press on the Lord, like what Simon did, to hear His word and receive His command? Do we kneel in prayer and humility and allow God to take over?

Now, Jesus uses this incident of Himself performing the miracle of the great catch of fish to show what kind of people the Lord wants to work with Him in the mission of saving souls. This entire episode is both surprising and revealing. The truth is God uses ordinary people, like Simon-Peter and his companion fishermen, and the Lord uses the ordinary circumstances of their lives and work situations to accomplish His saving works, and draw others into His kingdom.

Jesus speaks the same message to us today: we will "catch" people for God's kingdom if we allow the light of our Lord Jesus Christ to shine through us. Because God wants others to see the light of Christ in us in the way we live, speak, and witness the joy of the Gospel.

May the Holy Eucharist at Mass enkindle us the desire to respond to God's call to service in proclaiming the Good News of salvation to others by our own lives and authentic Christian living. Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!