Go Deep Or Go Home

September 6, 2018

Today’s gospel has many layers for us to chew on. First off, we get a picture of crowds of people following Jesus just to hear the word of God. It says they were pressing in on him and his natural instinct was to embark on a boat to give him some space and to use that boat as a pulpit if you will for the word of God. Sounds like the Church, doesn’t it. Jesus created a cathedral out of the deep waters and the wilderness was his amphitheater. The sacred space of the deep, the depth of our souls, the depth of our faith, the depth of our relationships, the depth of our thoughts, and the depth of our being, becomes the platform upon which Jesus, grace, the Holy Spirit, our Good Good Father, and love can speak from to the wilderness that is each of our worlds. The word of God is deep speaking to the wild. 

Once Jesus finished his lesson for the crowds, he turned to the keeper of the boat, the vessel he chose to launch into the deep, and gave Simon (not yet Peter) this command, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Their nets were their livelihood, that which gives their lives meaning. What would you consider your livelihood? Jesus says, “Put out into deep water, and lower your nets (livelihood) for a catch.” How do you “catch” your life’s meaning? Jesus says, you have to go deep or go home. Why? How? The deep is dark and scary and you can’t see the end. The deep is unknown and unpredictable. The deep requires faith. The deep pulls and I want things to simply float. Simon’s response is, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” This reminds me of Mary’s response, “How can this be? Let it be done according to your will.” We get to tell God that we don’t understand how or why or if or when to go deep, but then we need to act upon His Word and just do it anyway. This is the faith of the apostles handed down to us: go deep or go home. Of course their nets overflowed with fish/meaning and they become rich/abundantly blessed beyond measure.  

Lastly, this miraculous catch reduced Simon to his knees and suddenly his sinfulness made him feel unworthy to even be in the presence of Jesus. Raise your hand if you have pushed Jesus away because of shame, guilt, unworthiness, etc. It says that astonishment seized him and all that witnessed it. I’ve experienced this kind of reduction recently and feelings of being unworthy creeping into a call to go deeper in my faith. I took my fears to a friend and she gave me the same response that Jesus gives Simon in today’s gospel, “Do not be afraid.” Then she said, “Be prepared to be astonished.” God wants to seize us with astonishment because He knows that our faith will increase each and every time we witness the miraculous and the miraculous can be found everywhere as long as we “put out into the deep.” I know going deep is terrifying and going shallow is so much easier, but Jesus has chosen us as the vessel to launch Him out onto the deep waters that are teeming with life. When we cast our gifts, talents, livelihood, and entire being out into that deep, we will overflow with blessings beyond measure. Go deep or go home and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 1 COR 3:18-23

Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:

God catches the wise in their own ruses,

and again:

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

Responsorial Psalm PS 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.

Alleluia MT 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel LK 5:1-11

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.