Spiritual reading: Luke 5:1-11

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Allocutio:

Duc in Altum – Put out into the deep!

1.      – In the Gospel passage Jesus asked Simon (not yet Peter) to cast out into the deep and let down the nets to catch fish. This might sound like an illogical and impossible thing to do since an avid fisherman would know that there are more fishes in shallow waters than deep waters, and more fishes at night than during the day. However, Peter obeyed and caught a lot of fish. Although it seems impossible, we are called to trust in God and be the actor of God’s instructions.

Duc in Altum is St John Paul II’s message at the turn of the second millennium. He planned ahead for the very long term, another millennium into the future. He understands that there are challenges in the Church and we need to put out into the deep, to herald a new era of new evangelization. Pope Francis echoes this call in asking us to go out to the peripheries to preach the Gospel and be witnesses of God to them.

To where God is calling us to put out into the deep (Duc in Altum)? Where God wants us to go where we don’t normally want to go? Who is God calling me to contact, especially those whom we normally would not contact? Be courageous and obedient to the Lord to “Duc in Altum” and harvest plenty of people for our recruitment drive this year.

– Simon, after seeing the great many of fish, fell down at his knees and asked Jesus to depart from him since he is a sinner. 

We, too, feel unworthy to answer God’s call to Duc in Altum. However, God always forgives us and does not remember our sins anymore after we confess our sins. Isaiah 43:25 says “I do not remember your sins anymore”. We, too, should not be chained by our past sins, weaknesses, failures, but instead must look forward to be missionaries in answering God’s call to Duc in Altum. There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future.

– Jesus first shared the Word of God to Simon before asking him to Duc in Altum. 

We, too, must be attentive to God’s word and spend time reflecting God’s word so that we could listen more attentively to the Holy Spirit and discern where is the deep that God wants to call us. Allow Jesus to come to our boats (lives) and let Him guide us to be missionaries in where God wants us to be.