September 3
Jesus Calls
The First Disciples
Today's Gospel: Luke
5:1-11
Today’s
Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
(Jesus Calls The First Disciples)
“While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by
the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had
gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats,
which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat
down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he
said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a
catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took
nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had
done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were
breaking, they beckoned 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. But
when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For he was astonished, and all
that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were
James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said
to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And
when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and
followed him.
Reflection:
Are you a witness to God's Truth
for those around you? Look at who Jesus picks in today's Gospel. He doesn't
walk into mansions looking for the affluent and the well-connected. He walks
down to the shore and calls ordinary working men, fishermen with empty nets and
tired arms. That should encourage every one of us. Yes, Jesus Christ came for
everyone, rich and poor, young and old, but He starts with the ordinary, the
overlooked, the poor and wretched souls the world walks past. That tells you
something. There are no worldly requirements in Jesus' eyes. Just this: love
the Lord with all your heart, all your soul, and love your neighbor as
yourself. Get that right, and everything else falls into place.
Consider this when you're staring
down disappointment and empty nets like Simon Peter: where do you turn? Notice
what Peter does. His first response is honest, even a little weary: "we
toiled all night and took nothing." But he doesn't stop there. He says,
"But at your word I will let down the nets." He trusted the counsel
of the Lord over his own exhausted judgment. And look what happened: nets
breaking, boats sinking, an overabundance he never could have caught on his
own. It really is that simple. I can testify to it in my own life and in my
family's life. It has been our trust in Jesus, and nothing else, that has
carried us through the hardest seasons we've ever faced.
Here's the hard truth: sometimes
life gets difficult, and we don't know why, and in those very seasons, the
people you thought would stand beside you disappear; they scatter, and they
desert you. They even treat you like you don't exist. But watch what God does:
He raises up other allies, more godly ones, and through that new alliance your
faith gets built stronger than before. Some of you reading this know exactly
what I'm talking about. You've lived it just like I have. God knows what you
need before you ask. He will not leave you standing alone with empty nets. If
your own family walks away and leaves your nets bare, God Himself will fill
them, full and overflowing, more than you can hold. Keep the faith, my sisters
and brothers.
So, ask yourself honestly today:
when your nets come up empty, and the people you counted on have scattered, is
Jesus the first one you run to, or the last? Peter had spent all night failing
on his own strength before he ever tried it Jesus’s way. How many empty nets do
you need to pull up before you finally say, "At your word, I will let down
the nets"?
Till tomorrow, keep praying, and
keep trusting.
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely
shared.
