Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 1, 2022
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
The calling of the fishermen is one of my favorite scenes in the new Christian drama series, The Chosen. Although it does not use Luke’s exact text, episode four brings to life the power of this gospel story.
First, Peter listens to Jesus’ request to use his boat, but then he asks Peter for a few more minutes of his time. Increasing in annoyance, Peter resists Jesus’ call to fish with his reaction of excuses.
Peter did not understand Jesus’ request—it made no logical sense—but he finally gave in. Peter’s mind and heart still were closed to Jesus’ recommendations, but at least he gave Jesus a chance to break through to him. Can we do the same?
After the miraculous catch of fish, Peter recognizes the source of his good fortune. It was not from his fishing skills or even blind luck. It was a gift from Jesus. Peter quickly shifts then from joy to guilt as he struggles with his worthiness to accept Jesus’ love and help. Peter ultimately receives Christ’s grace and continues forward to take the next step.
Jesus did not select a perfect man in Peter, but a man perfect to lead his church.
Our faith journeys may not follow the same order as Saint Peter. We may get stuck on certain steps or even slide backward to previous ones. But if this simple and broken fisherman could carry his crosses and find eternal glory with the help of Jesus, we can too.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have given us all that is good. You constantly call us to put out into the deep in service to you and to one another. Give us the courage to listen to your commands, and to be fearless in our baptismal call to holiness. Help us to find ways to serve rather than to be served, even if those ways may be small or unseen by others. May we be faithful in our vocations to do your will rather than our own, and make you known, loved, and served. Amen.
Saint of the Day
For a number of centuries, St. Giles was one of the most popular saints in the Church—he was numbered among the 14 Holy Helpers, saints invoked for the protection against the plague.
Because of his popularity, stories about St. Giles exaggerated the historical facts of his life. The most that we can tell for certain is that he was a hermit or monk who lived near the mouth of the Rhone river in southern France sometime around the seventh century.
One of the legends that arose around his life states that he was born in Athens, Greece. It is said that as a young man, he cured a beggar when he gave him his cloak. After working other wonders, he escaped the adulation of others by traveling to France to live in solitude in a cave.
He lived in such isolation that God sent a deer to nourish him with her milk. When the local king was hunting in the forest, his party found the deer and pursued it until it hid in Giles’ cave. The cave was covered by brush, and the hunters shot arrows into the obscured opening, trying to hit the deer; an arrow struck Giles instead. The king expressed remorse and promised to send his physician to care for Giles, but Giles refused any compensation, and instead encouraged the king to build a monastery. He agreed, on the condition that Giles serve as its abbot.
Because of his injury from the arrow, Giles is patron saint of those who have a disability, and his help is also invoked by those suffering from cancer. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Giles, patron saint of those with a disability or who are fighting cancer, pray for us!