Nevertheless....

Glory to Jesus Christ!

We human beings like to think highly of ourselves.  We are confident, certain in our abilities, secure in our understanding of the world around us.

Until something unexpected happens.

In today’s Gospel, our Lord is found preaching to the crowds near the Sea of Galilee.  He sees two boats emptied of their fishermen, and so He sets about to enter one so that He could teach from a position where people would only be in front of Him.  Logical!  What He says to the crowd, we aren’t told.  It is not important to this Gospel record.

It is only when He is finished with teaching that Jesus turns to Peter and says, Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.

Remember our starting premise—we people are certain in our abilities and our understanding of the world around us!  Peter and his companions have just labored to clean and put away their fishing nets.  The fished all day and caught nothing.  Now, even while Peter knows Jesus, and clearly respects Him, has no doubt witnessed some miraculous healings and deeds, this is now HIS turf, HIS place of expertise.  He knows that Jesus is no fisherman!  And so we can almost hear the exasperation in the voice of Peter as he responds to the Lord’s request.  Peter rightly calls Him Master.  Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing;  NEVERTHELESS… 

There’s that word.  What does it mean?  What Peter is saying in essence is, “You have no experience in what You’re asking me to do.  I KNOW there’s nothing out there.  I KNOW we’ll find nothing.

NEVERTHELESS.  I will swallow my pride and do what You ask, even though I KNOW what the result will be.  He further quantifies his belief in self by saying, at Your word I will let down the net.  In other words, when we come up empty, it’ll all be on You!

St. Luke shows what a lack of faith can be turned into.  He records, And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  So they signaled 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.

Not only was Peter’s understanding of the world around him turned upside down, he was now the one shown to be without an understanding of the world around him.  Once you come to see the Lord as the One Who is the Creator, you come to recognize that there is nothing in “nature” that is not subject to His command.  Winds stop at His word.  Demons flee from His presence.  Blindness becomes sight at His command.  Lepers are cleansed at His touch.

As this recognition comes to Peter, his understanding is overturned by the recognition of these characteristics of a Man who stands before him as God. 

When Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ feet saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

Peter is not truly begging Jesus to leave him.  From this moment on, he will cling to Jesus, becoming a rock of faith.  Peter is expressing his recognition that Divinity doesn’t coexist with what is sinful.  This is Peter’s “confession”.  He recognizes the sin he has just committed in not trusting in the Lord.  He sees the other sins within his life.  For His part, the Lord gives His absolution.  Do not be afraid.  From now on, you will catch men.

And indeed, Peter and the others didn’t fish thereafter.  St. Luke records, When they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Lord, help ME to forsake the world as well, and to follow where You might lead me!

Glory forever!