From now on you will be catching men.

Gospel of the Day (Luke 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 they 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.

***

Reflections:

"From now on you will be catching men."

«Look! I will send many fishermen, says the Lord, to catch them» (Jer 16,16). Thus he makes clear our great mission: fishing. It is said or written sometimes that the world is like the sea. There is a certain truth in the comparison. In human lives, as in the sea, there are periods of calm and periods of storm, of peace and of raging winds. Very often men find themselves in salt waters among great waves; they make headway through great storms, sorry seafarers even when they seem joyful and even enthusiastic: their laughter seeks to disguise their discouragement, disappointment, their lives without either charity or understanding. They devour each other like fish.

Act in such a way that all men will enter the divine net of their own free will and will love one another. This is the task of God's children. As Christians we should turn ourselves into those fishermen described by the prophet Jeremiah with the help of a metaphor that Jesus Christ also often used: «Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men,» he said to Peter and Andrew.

We are going to join Christ in that divine fishing. «While the crowd was pressing in and listening to the word of God,» Jesus «was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret» (Lk 5,1). Just as he does today! Can't you see?