Coffee With God

Reflection: Luke 5:1-11

The Gospel tells us of the calling of Jesus’ first disciples on the shore of the lake of Galilee. On the shore are a group of disappointed fishermen. They have been working all night but caught nothing. Jesus walks up and gets on to the boat of Simon. Was it sheer coincidence that Jesus chose Peter’s boat? It is unlikely that someone could address a crowd on the shore while staying on a boat. It conveys a symbolic meaning. Although not a disciple of Jesus yet, Peter allows Jesus to use his boat as a podium. We often come across such acts of generosity from people who belong to other faiths. Many non-believers joyfully contribute to the mission of the Church – with their time, talents and treasure. Jesus wants Peter to “Put out to the deep and lower the nets for a catch.” Peter takes a considerable risk because if unsuccessful, he would be ridiculed by his colleagues. Human logic would suggest that daytime is not proper for fishing, but still, Peter prefers to obey. Peter’s behaviour deserves our reflection and learning. Our life in the modern world is totally controlled by logic of the world and proven theories. We claim to have faith but refuse to take that leap into the darkness. Despite our faith in Jesus and years of life as Christians, do we not make fun of the simple faith of ordinary people? Peter listens to the Words of Jesus and simply obeys. We find such obedience in the lives of numerous biblical characters in the Old Testament and later in the lives of Mary, Joseph and the apostles. Abraham was clueless when he was called to leave his homeland and family, yet he obeyed. Similar was the case with Moses, the judges and the prophets. Mary and Joseph knew the gravity of the obedience, yet both of them said yes. And this is Peter’s moment of saying “Fiat.” The reaction of Peter follows a pattern. In the Bible, whoever received God’s call had similar reactions: – Moses – did not know how to speak, Jeremiah was too young, Isaiah was with unclean lips… examples are many. Peter falls to his knees and cries he is unworthy: “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Peter has a particular task to carry out – to listen attentively to the Word of the Lord to save the people from the depths of their sinfulness. People would die if they are left alone in the immense, deep, dark, and agitated sea of violence, hatred, war, and moral corruption. And this is the mission of the Church – our mission to save the world from the depths of sin. “Do not be afraid. The Father’s mercy is greater than your sins!”