Out on the Sea of Galilee, the time for catching fish is at
night. If you haven’t caught anything by morning, it’s time to pack up the nets
and go home. That’s exactly what St. Peter is doing in the Gospel this week,
when Jesus calls him to something higher. “Put out into the deep,” the Lord
says, “and lower your nets for a catch.” Such a command would have made no
sense to St. Peter, because the best fishing in Galilee is not in the deep, but
close to the shore. And who is this rabbi to tell a fisherman how to catch a
fish? Moreover, cleaning your fishing nets is a time-consuming and messy
project. Why soil them up again, after so much work?
Although Jesus’ instruction seems foolish, somewhere in the
depths of his soul, St. Peter knows that ignoring the word of the Lord is more
foolish still. And so, by some intuition, by some invisible grace, Peter sets
his ego aside, and gives the Lord the gift of his trust. What happens next? A
catch of fish beyond anything he could have imagined. Nets strained to the
breaking point. Two entire fishing boats, nearly swamped. In an instant, St.
Peter realizes he has just witnessed a miracle. He stands in the presence of no
ordinary teacher. This man Jesus controls the forces of nature. Overcome with
awe and reverence, St. Peter says to Jesus, “depart from me Lord. I am a sinful
man.”
The blessings God intends for your soul are just like this
miraculous catch of fish: literally beyond anything you can imagine. Let’s
note, however, that it’s St. Peter’s trust and humility that allows him to
receive such an abundant blessing. That same trust and humility we must imitate
as well.
Trusting the Lord always feels like a risk, but nothing in this
world could be more certain. I heard a fascinating story once about a deceased
Vietnamese Cardinal, the Venerable Nguyen Van Thuan. He was imprisoned by the
Vietnamese communists for 13 years. At first, he despaired of his imprisonment.
“What good could possibly come of such monumental injustice,” he thought to
himself. Gradually however, he began to trust. God has his purposes, even when
he could not understand. For years, government officials transferred the
cardinal from prison to prison, and then suddenly, with no explanation,
released him from prison, and exiled him from Vietnam. Years later, Cardinal
Thuan learned the full truth of what had happened. It turns out that his mere
presence in each prison camp inspired all the other prisoners with the faith,
much to the consternation of their atheist overlords.
It takes a generous measure of humility to believe, as Cardinal
Thuan did, that God’s providence is always operative even when life’s
circumstances make no sense to us. But such humility is exactly what it means
for us to “put out into the deep.” The deeper the humility of your heart, the
greater the blessings you can receive. That’s why humility can be understood as
the foundation of the entire spiritual life. In fact, St. Teresa of Avila once
likened humility to the foundation of a building. The deeper the foundation,
the higher the building can rise. Similarly, the deeper the humility of your
soul, the greater God's power can work through you. Humility is never the goal
of our lives, of course. Charity is always the goal. But humility is the only
means by which we can ever arrive.
There are many things you will never accomplish by your own
strength alone. Some things only God can do — things such as changing lives,
touching souls and moving stubborn hearts. But when we cooperate, in humility
and trust, God does act, even through unworthy human instruments. Let’s take to
heart then, these words Jesus addresses to St. Peter, “Put out into the deep,
and lower your nets for a catch.”
Fr. Hudgins is pastor of St. Jude Church in
Fredericksburg.