The readings for the celebration of Holy Mass
are arranged in a three-year cycle
which centers around the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke…
with passages of John throughout.
We are currently in “Year C” of the new Lectionary cycle…
the year of Luke.
Saint Luke was a Syrian, from Antioch.
He is not an eyewitness to the life of Jesus…
but his writings rely on the traditions of witnesses passed down to him.
The Gospel according to Saint Luke is the first of a two-volume work.
Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles.
Saint Luke’s purpose in writing is to continue the Bible’s history
of God’s interaction with humanity found in the Old Testament.
He continues the great story of salvation…
showing how God’s promises to Israel have been fulfilled in Jesus…
and how the salvation promised to Israel is extended to the Gentiles.
Luke also desires to give assurance to the faith of his readers.
In the beginning of his Gospel,
Luke describes his motives for writing:
“…for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.”
“Theophilus” is a name that means “one who loves God.”
Scholarly theory that suggests that this does not refer to an individual…
but generically to all the “God-loving” readers of the Gospel.
Luke desires to record the saving events of Jesus’ life…
so that all who read his Gospel down through the centuries…
may be strengthened in their faith in Jesus Christ.
[PAUSE]
In today’s selection from Saint Luke…
Jesus comes upon the fishermen and the crowds…
He climbs into Simon’s boat…
asks him to row out a short distance from shore…
and from the boat He teaches the vast crowd gathered on land.
He then asks the fishermen to take a risk and to trust Him…
“Put out into deep water,” He says.
Notice that He has first taught them His saving message.
They have come to know who He is…
and so they have confidence in Him and they listen to Him…
despite their own doubts about the fishing situation.
When they lower their nets…
the catch of fish is so great the boat cannot handle it.
Simon Peter is so overwhelmed that he falls down at Jesus’ feet…
afraid…
and aware of his own weakness before the Lord.
Jesus calms their fears…
and assures them that their new life with Him
will be even greater than the miracle they have witnessed.
For these struggling fishermen…
this spectacular catch of fish surely meant great profit and worldly fame.
Yet, Jesus tells them that from now on they will be “Fishers of Men.”
They will now be seeking heavenly glory…
and spending their lives in total service of the Kingdom of God.
The final line is the most striking of all…
“They left everything and followed Him.”
After what was probably the greatest fishing expedition of their lives…
they abandoned the whole thing…
the boats, the fish, the money, the security of work…
all of it…to follow Jesus.
They left everything!
[PAUSE]
One of my dearest friends is an older priest with whom I was once assigned.
Over the years he has become a mentor and confidante…
and through we are nearly 40 years apart in age…
we have become quite close.
About a month ago he had to undergo an emergency surgery.
Afterwards, he explained to me
that his condition was serious
and the surgery he had was dangerous.
I was taken aback when he said to me: “I’m lucky to be alive.”
Moments such as these are frightening…
and they are life-changing experiences in a person’s life.
My friend says his faith is deeper because of what happened to him.
He describes his spiritual reflections during his time in the hospital like this:
“I felt as if I had given 90% of my life over to Jesus and to the Church,
and the Lord is saying to me: ‘I want the other 10%.’”
The Lord wants it all!
So, we can ask ourselves…
“What percent of my life have I given over to the Lord?”
“What am I holding on to, that the Lord is asking me to surrender to Him?”
Even though we may not be faced with a life-threatening or life-changing situation,
these questions still face us…
for our lives are not complete
unless they are totally centered in the Lord.
Like the Apostles and the crowd in today’s Gospel…
we have come to know the Lord.
He has taught us in his Word…
and we have experienced His presence in the Eucharist.
We have come to know and to experience the Lord’s presence.
And now He asks us to take the risk the Apostles took…
to put out into deep waters,
even though we might have our doubts.
He asks us to leave everything and follow Him.
The Lord asks us to leave behind everything
that might keep us from fully uniting ourselves to Him…
and what we must leave behind is unique for each person.
Perhaps there is some teaching of the Church that we have a hard time accepting.
Perhaps there is a grudge we’re holding.
Perhaps there is a desire in us to be “cool”
even when that means acting in a way that Jesus would not approve of.
Perhaps worldly gain or allurements
are keeping us from fully investing ourselves in our relationship with Christ.
Perhaps we think we’re doing pretty well living our faith as Catholics…
But have we made every attempt to attend Mass on Holy Days of Obligation?
Or, have we allowed other activities to keep us from our duties to the Church?
Perhaps we give some of our resources…and some of our time to the Church…
But could we give a little more?
Do the television programs we watch and the music we listen to
foster healthy living?
Or are they morally questionable…
Do they capture the attention and time we ought to devote to the Lord
and to our families?
Can we say that we’re doing “mostly well”
and yet there is something the Lord is still asking from us?
In my own life, I know that God is calling me to be a priest…
and I have to surrender my own perceptions of what priesthood is…
so that I can accept all that God expects of me.
So…for each of us…what is that 10% or 25% of our life
that we have kept from the Lord?
Today the Lord challenges us to look deeply into our hearts and souls…
to search long and hard
and to find what He wants us to surrender for the sake of His kingdom.
Soul-searching can be frightening…
for we may not like what we find!
But we know the Lord…
We have heard His word and experienced His presence so many times.
We can trust in Him…
that when we leave behind everything to follow Him…
He will not let us down.
For He has given everything for us…
even to dying on the Cross.
He will accompany is through our journey of life with mercy and understanding…
until at last we sing His praises in the sight of the angels!
No comments:
Post a Comment