I’m sure that you have all experienced a day that does not turn out as well as you would have liked. you schedule, you plan, you set your goals and your expectations are shattered. What you intended to accomplish was encountered with traffic jams, Family demands, added work tasks, and unexpected problem after problem. At the end of such a day, you are left exhausted with nothing to show for all of your efforts; Simon was having that type of day.
He is by the seashore next to his boat cleaning and repairing his nets after a nonproductive fishing day. then Jesus comes and asks him for his boat and tells him to put it out a short distance from the shore. Simon unwillingly complies but he would have preferred to go home and rest after such a long day but proceeds to give him his boat. Then Jesus sits in the boat and from there, He begins teaching using the boat as a podium. After Jesus finishes his preaching he tells Simon, “Simon, put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but if somebody comes to me at the end of my nonproductive workday and asks me to start all over. I will not be as compliant as Simon. Think about it, he is a fisherman by trade, he is an experienced fisherman, he has been fishing all his life. So, for Simon to have someone telling him how to do his job frankly would be quite offensive.
He boldly responds and tells Jesus, Master, my team and I have worked all night and have not caught anything, we have already cleaned and mended our nets and you want us to cast out our nets again? Simon not truly wanting to do so still fulfills his request and he tells him, OK at your command I will lower my nets.
Simon, more than likely followed Jesus’ orders with the hope that he would come back empty handed and prove Jesus wrong; however, history was about to be made. For after following Jesus’ instruction and after lowering the nets from his boat they catch an enormous number of fish; so big that their nets were tearing.
They were tearing to the point that they had to signal nearby boats to assist because their boat was about to sink. The catch was so great that they ended with two boats loads of fish.
Once on the shoreside, and recognizing that he had doubted, Simon falls at the knees of Jesus and says, “Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man.” Jesus then tells Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be a fisher of men.”
A couple of days ago, I myself felt just as Simon did. My morning started with planning. As usual I had scheduled tasks that I would tackle once arriving at the office. I had process follow up, calls to return and paperwork that needed to be submitted by the end of day; but my day was immediately challenged.
Before arriving at my office, I was already receiving phone calls requesting my assistance. The phone calls continued throughout the day call after call, and not one was work related nor part of my to do list but nonetheless all required my personal attention. Before I knew it, the day had come and gone and I had not completed a single planned task.
I did; however, end up with several issues to address and resolve. issues which concerned family and church and commitments that I had to either comply with or excuse myself from. Needless to say, I had several calls to return for follow up and closure. Then, just as I am preparing to leave my office with my laptop case at hand and all else placed away for another day’s work.
My Lord reminds me, “By the way, don’t forget, you’re preaching this weekend. You have a Homily to prepare.”
Tired both physically and mentally and in a soft voice I asked; Lord, I have been working all day and did not complete anything from my work list, and you are adding more to it? At that point, I felt like Simon. I was being asked after a long unaccomplished day to cast my nets into deeper water. I exhaled and reminded myself, “OK Lord, at your command I will lower my nets.”
As I walked away from my office and on my drive back to my home, I felt like my nets were about to tear because of all that I had to care of. But just as Simon when he called for help, as I returned call after call, one by one each matter was taken care of. Each person that I spoke to had already resolved and had found a solution to their particular problem; When I felt that my nets were full, just like in Simon’s case, boats came to my rescue.
Now I am not a fisherman at heart but being from the Valley and considering that the Valley is a fishing haven, I have many times seen fishermen effortlessly casting their nets into the water. I also know that if I tried casting any one of those nets, upon throwing it, for sure, the one entangled would be me.
But you know what? If I get entangled that is exactly what Jesus wants; because he wants to catch me. I understand that before I can fish for men, I must allow Jesus to catch me first. I must let him into my boat, I must allow him to convert me and make me his follower.
As I listened to the Gospel reading of the Fisher of men, I realized that the true miracle was not that Simon ended with two boat loads of fish; the miracle was Jesus’ catch of Simon Himself. Jesus did this by stepping into his boat, standing right in his face and literally asking him, now where are you going to run? Jesus was after Simon and Simon fell right into his nets.
Just as he was after Simon, our Lord is after us as well. We may be running from him, but he does not give up, he never gives up. Many of us make excuses, Lord my boat is not available right now, or my boat is too small, or, it’s too dirty or simply, Lord I’m not ready to give you my boat, and we continue making excuses not allowing Jesus to enter our boat.
No matter what decision you make, He will be there waiting for you. You can take 1000 steps away from him and all you need to do is take one step back and he is ready for you to allow him to enter into your boat. By the way, Jesus really does not need a boat; the man can walk on water. So, if you are running, He will eventually catch up to you and enter into your boat.
Just as Jesus told Simon in today’s Gospel, he tells all of us: I know you are tired; … I know that you are exhausted and that you have lost hope; ... I command you to put down your nets and let me do the work.
Why are you still running after a small catch when I want to give you a big haul? … I ask you for your boat, don’t just give me your boat, give also your life to me. Allow me to cast my net one more time, but this time, let me cast it over you.
He is by the seashore next to his boat cleaning and repairing his nets after a nonproductive fishing day. then Jesus comes and asks him for his boat and tells him to put it out a short distance from the shore. Simon unwillingly complies but he would have preferred to go home and rest after such a long day but proceeds to give him his boat. Then Jesus sits in the boat and from there, He begins teaching using the boat as a podium. After Jesus finishes his preaching he tells Simon, “Simon, put out into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but if somebody comes to me at the end of my nonproductive workday and asks me to start all over. I will not be as compliant as Simon. Think about it, he is a fisherman by trade, he is an experienced fisherman, he has been fishing all his life. So, for Simon to have someone telling him how to do his job frankly would be quite offensive.
He boldly responds and tells Jesus, Master, my team and I have worked all night and have not caught anything, we have already cleaned and mended our nets and you want us to cast out our nets again? Simon not truly wanting to do so still fulfills his request and he tells him, OK at your command I will lower my nets.
Simon, more than likely followed Jesus’ orders with the hope that he would come back empty handed and prove Jesus wrong; however, history was about to be made. For after following Jesus’ instruction and after lowering the nets from his boat they catch an enormous number of fish; so big that their nets were tearing.
They were tearing to the point that they had to signal nearby boats to assist because their boat was about to sink. The catch was so great that they ended with two boats loads of fish.
Once on the shoreside, and recognizing that he had doubted, Simon falls at the knees of Jesus and says, “Depart from me Lord for I am a sinful man.” Jesus then tells Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be a fisher of men.”
A couple of days ago, I myself felt just as Simon did. My morning started with planning. As usual I had scheduled tasks that I would tackle once arriving at the office. I had process follow up, calls to return and paperwork that needed to be submitted by the end of day; but my day was immediately challenged.
Before arriving at my office, I was already receiving phone calls requesting my assistance. The phone calls continued throughout the day call after call, and not one was work related nor part of my to do list but nonetheless all required my personal attention. Before I knew it, the day had come and gone and I had not completed a single planned task.
I did; however, end up with several issues to address and resolve. issues which concerned family and church and commitments that I had to either comply with or excuse myself from. Needless to say, I had several calls to return for follow up and closure. Then, just as I am preparing to leave my office with my laptop case at hand and all else placed away for another day’s work.
My Lord reminds me, “By the way, don’t forget, you’re preaching this weekend. You have a Homily to prepare.”
Tired both physically and mentally and in a soft voice I asked; Lord, I have been working all day and did not complete anything from my work list, and you are adding more to it? At that point, I felt like Simon. I was being asked after a long unaccomplished day to cast my nets into deeper water. I exhaled and reminded myself, “OK Lord, at your command I will lower my nets.”
As I walked away from my office and on my drive back to my home, I felt like my nets were about to tear because of all that I had to care of. But just as Simon when he called for help, as I returned call after call, one by one each matter was taken care of. Each person that I spoke to had already resolved and had found a solution to their particular problem; When I felt that my nets were full, just like in Simon’s case, boats came to my rescue.
Now I am not a fisherman at heart but being from the Valley and considering that the Valley is a fishing haven, I have many times seen fishermen effortlessly casting their nets into the water. I also know that if I tried casting any one of those nets, upon throwing it, for sure, the one entangled would be me.
But you know what? If I get entangled that is exactly what Jesus wants; because he wants to catch me. I understand that before I can fish for men, I must allow Jesus to catch me first. I must let him into my boat, I must allow him to convert me and make me his follower.
As I listened to the Gospel reading of the Fisher of men, I realized that the true miracle was not that Simon ended with two boat loads of fish; the miracle was Jesus’ catch of Simon Himself. Jesus did this by stepping into his boat, standing right in his face and literally asking him, now where are you going to run? Jesus was after Simon and Simon fell right into his nets.
Just as he was after Simon, our Lord is after us as well. We may be running from him, but he does not give up, he never gives up. Many of us make excuses, Lord my boat is not available right now, or my boat is too small, or, it’s too dirty or simply, Lord I’m not ready to give you my boat, and we continue making excuses not allowing Jesus to enter our boat.
No matter what decision you make, He will be there waiting for you. You can take 1000 steps away from him and all you need to do is take one step back and he is ready for you to allow him to enter into your boat. By the way, Jesus really does not need a boat; the man can walk on water. So, if you are running, He will eventually catch up to you and enter into your boat.
Just as Jesus told Simon in today’s Gospel, he tells all of us: I know you are tired; … I know that you are exhausted and that you have lost hope; ... I command you to put down your nets and let me do the work.
Why are you still running after a small catch when I want to give you a big haul? … I ask you for your boat, don’t just give me your boat, give also your life to me. Allow me to cast my net one more time, but this time, let me cast it over you.
