Homilies

(LUKE 5:1-11)

THE MIRACULOUS CATCH

St. Joseph Mission at St Matthew Church, Seattle, WA
9-24-06

"Do not be afraid. From now on you will be fishers of men" (Luke 5:10)

A TRUE STORY
Did you hear a fish story recently? People exaggerating their exploits and making
of a small smelt a giant sword fish? Today’s Gospel is not one of those stories
that you heard. “The Miraculous catch” is a true story, with a deep lesson taken
from the core of our religion. It raises our awareness from the realm of fish
swimming in water or replenishing our tables, and to be “as dumb as a fish,” to the
new kind of fish walking on two feet and created in the image and likeness of
God. The first disciples of Christ were promoted, as in the Gospel of the day,
from ordinary fishermen to extraordinary fishers of men.

UPSTAIR, DOWNSTAIRS
Many of us are old enough to remember the T.V. show entitled: "Upstairs,
downstairs"? That serial show used to present two parallel stories, one of the
masters living upstairs and the other of the servants living downstairs. To
outsiders it looked like the same house; but in reality there were two different
worlds miles apart. The view on life, the personal concerns, the problems and
the opportunities were all together different between the upper class masters and
the low income servants living downstairs. I am not saying who was better or who
was happier. All I am saying is that these were two different worlds miles apart. In
God’s eyes, maybe the people downstairs were much higher than those upstairs.
We are as high as we aim to be. Our thoughts are not always up to God’s
thoughts. Sometimes, as our Lord said: “The first will be last and the last will be
first.”

WITH JESUS OR WITHOUT JESUS
The reading of the day shows us the vain efforts of Simon Peter and his
companions without the Lord. Simon told Jesus: “Master, we have worked hard all
night and have caught nothing, but at your command I lower the nets.” Then,
when he followed Jesus’ advice, they caught such a great number of fish that their
nets were tearing. You see: without Jesus, nothing; with Jesus, plenty. Without
Jesus, darkness; with Jesus, light.

DOUBLE PERSONALITY
Each one of us has more or less a double personality, a downstairs and an
upstairs. The eyes of the body see the material world, downstairs. The eyes of
the spirit see spiritual things, upstairs. Under the clouds, there is thunder and
lightening and rain and wind; over the clouds there is serenity. Here again, with
Jesus or without Jesus, that makes the greatest difference, my friends. With
Jesus, we are over the clouds. Without Jesus, we are in the middle of the
storm.

SWIM AND SWIM OR SWIM AND PRAY
Almost forty years ago, I watched a Television debate between a priest and an
atheist, the famous Madelyn O’Hare. The atheist asked: "Reverend, if we are in
a high see and our boat is sinking, you pray and I swim; who will be saved?" The
answer of course is: "My friend, you swim and swim and swim; but I swim and pray
and swim and pray. I have a better chance to be saved; because God is with
me." Remember the beautiful hymn we sing during Lent: “God is with us. Give
ear, all you nations, and be humbled. For God is with us!”

DOING IT ALONE
In our family, in our business, in our relationships, in the sweet and sour of life, it
makes a great difference if we insist on doing it alone, by our own strength, or if
we draw on the power of Jesus. “At your word I lower my net,” said Peter.” Did
you ever try to pull yourself up by your shoe strings? Try it! It is impossible.
Prayer which puts us in harmony with God’s power is our best elevator to reach
upstairs. This is precisely the role of religion: to open our eyes to our spiritual
reality and to unfold our potential through God’s power.

AT THE END OF THE ROPE
Sometimes, when we face great difficulties and we feel like we have reached the
end of our rope, then we are tempted to despair. Our salvation comes from the
Lord. “My help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth,” we sing with the
Psalmist, in the vespers service of Thursday. I heard it put that way once by Rev.
Robert Schuler, author of "the Power of Possibility Thinking": "You say, 'I reached
the end of my rope; what shall I do? Tie a knot and hang on?' - No! When you
reach the end of your rope, reach out to another rope called hope; then you can
cope." St. Paul says: "I can do everything by Christ who strengthens me". With
the Lord Jesus, “everything is possible to God.”

THE FULFILLING VOCATION
We heard in the Gospel of the day the story of the call of the first disciples. They
were fishermen, dealing with fish. After the miraculous catch, Jesus calls them to
be fishers of people, instead. He raises them to a higher level of work. Instead of
fish, they look now for people; instead of material concerns, they look for spiritual
values. But sometimes our spiritual values are lowered by material concerns.
Instead of minding the spiritual activities such as Sunday School, spiritual
retreats, Bible study, etc., we spend our time in material and social activities,
bingo (thank God, we do not have it anymore,) outings, haflies, bazaars. Far from
me to be knocking down these activities which are really an outstanding proof of
attachment and devotion and love; but I am simply saying that, instead of being
fishers of men, we seek good time as guardians of the aquarium. If we have no
spiritual progress, material prosperity will never assure our survival as a church.

When young men think of a career, how many think of becoming a teacher, an
engineer, a Doctor, a lawyer, a businessman or a business woman, etc., without
giving a chance to becoming a priest or a religious? Forty years ago, at an
Ultreya at the Holy Rosary Church Hall in Lawrence, toward the end of the school
year, I saw hanging from the ceiling round cards containing the different careers
the students were planning to poursue after their graduation: lawyer. Doctor,
businessman, taxi driver, etc. I looked and looked, in that Catholic school to find a
card for priest, deacon or nun… Why should God come second in our
consideration for a fulfilled life? Every time I see a young man intelligent, open,
like our altar helpers here, I ask him: “Do you want to be a priest?” And I pray
inside: “O Lord, let it be so. Amen!”

THE HIGHER LEVEL
At the Divine Liturgy, the priest invites us “to lift up our hearts.” And we answer:
“We lift them up to the Lord.” Let us focus our attention, today and in the
following days, on the higher level of our reality. This requires a special effort. It is
easier to go down than to go up. However, if our efforts are with Christ, the result
will be as outstanding as the miraculous catch. We will have plenty of good result;
yet our nets will not be torn apart. We will cherish Jesus' company and prefer it to
anything else in the world.

INVITATION TO JOY
Finally, As we have crossed the threshold of hope and welcomed the Third
Millennium of the Incarnation, the Espousal of Heaven and earth through the Birth
of our Lord Jesus, let us remember that God our Father is the God of joy. Jesus
our Lord came to give us life and joy in abundance. “Do not be afraid any longer,
little flock; for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Let
us draw from His goodness inspiration, motivation and energy for our journey.
Let Him be at the center of all our joyful celebrations; for every good gift and
every perfect grace comes from Him, the Father of light; and to Him we render
glory, to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and always and
forever and ever. Amen.

Final remark: As a conclusion to our homily, let us participate joyfully in the
celebration as a happy family, far from being as dumb as fish, let us sing joyfully
as canaries and nightingales, praising the Lord.