In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
I want to think of myself as having found Christ and his Church. I have searched for Christ, I have found him, I have worked hard to deepen my understanding of him, to have a relationship with him. I get myself out of bed and get myself to Church; and I may rejoice at my accomplishments.
But I am deluding myself. We see in today’s Gospel the truth. Simon, who was to be given the name Peter, had nothing to do with Christ stepping into his boat: it was not Simon who found Christ but Christ who found Simon. It was Christ who initiated going out into the deep and by Christ was a great catch found.
And then, when in my life I receive a blessing from the Lord, I think to myself, “it’s what I deserve, it’s the result of my work.” But this was not true for the Apostle. His blessing was to catch a great shoal of fish; he had toiled all the night but responded with obedience to the Word of God, yet his response to the blessing was to fall down at Jesus’ knees and say, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Simon could recognise in himself not one deserving the blessings of God but a sinner. And in this self-recognition, the Lord was able to receive him as a disciple, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.”
And, therefore, I must change, I must repent. I must recognise that I have not been the one to have found Christ but that he has found me, he has been the one to initiate all. And if I recognise this, and if I receive all in my life as having its origin in God—whether I believe them to be blessings or curses, riches or poverty, life or death—and if I take all as an opportunity to name myself a sinner and repent of my sins, then I, along with Simon, would show myself to be a disciple of the Lord and worthy of the name Christian.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord has stepped into your boat. He has asked you to push out into the depths and you have received a great blessing from him: what will your response be? Let each of us today, here and now, repent and say along with Simon Peter, “Depart from me, for I am sinful, O Lord.” Because, paradoxically, through this we are drawn closer to God.
To our incarnate, crucified and risen God and Saviour Jesus Christ be all glory, honour and worship, together with his unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.
Timothy, my son, you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at lconion, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
— Second Timothy 3:10–15
At that time, as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
— Luke 5:1–11