Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time ,Year C

Gifted, Peter … it’s strange when a person of the 21st century feels vulnerable. Many ask themselves the same or similar question: why did you create us so small and weak?! Such a question makes its way from the depths of our being in sickness, after failure, when we pray for someone to return to a good path for a long time. He rejects us, humiliates us … when someone hurts us … At the Stockholm International Forum on Preventing Genocide, Israeli Professor Yehuda Bauer, an academic adviser to the conference and the Yad Vashem Institute in Jerusalem, reported that between 1900 and 1987, genocide was the cause of death of 169 million people.  (Archbishop Celestino Migliore defined genocide as the “specific intent to destroy in whole or in part a nation, race, ethnic or religious group, a defenseless or vulnerable group of human beings simply because they are what they are.“) Thus a small and weak person could commit so many crimes! New hotbeds of war are constantly emerging, especially in Africa and the Middle East, terrorism threatens everyone. And the wise God answers our question like this: “To show you my strength! So that evil in the hands of man does not have too much power. So that good can win. That’s why I created you to measure – just”. Only created beings have evil in their hands. However, good is in my hands “. And therefore, goodness and love will win! Death and sin will be cast into the eternal lake of fire—even those whom they do not find written in the Book of Life. God wants to show his power—the power of salvation. Love longs to save all people. However, it does not do it violently; instead, it invites a person to a common path. He invites the apostles and each of us as his collaborators. God needs us! Let’s notice this in today’s Gospel: Once, Jesus was standing by Lake Gennesaret, and a crowd was pushing on him because he wanted to hear God’s Word… When he stopped talking, he said to Simon: “Draw to the depths(further) and start nets to hunt!” Simon answered him: “Teacher, we struggled all night and caught nothing. But at your word, I’ll run the networks.” As soon as they did, they caught so many fish that their nets were tearing… When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ feet and said, “Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” Here Jesus said to Simon: “Don’t be afraid, from now on you will hunt ( save people to live).” And when they drew the ships to the shore, they left everything and followed him.)1. Simon’s desperate: … “All night we toiled. “… Man is weak. He feels fear, especially when he stands face to face with the forces of nature or is close to God. He feels something similar in his soul to Isaiah when God called him a prophet: “Woe to me, I am lost. “And yet those who left everything and followed him, and who with the apostle Paul can exclaim: “But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace was not vain “in me, they cannot be helpless and weak!

2. But at your Word, I’ll run the networks… A person’s helplessness or security is primarily a question of faith. Therefore, St. Paul says: “Brothers, I remind you of the Gospel I preached to you, and you have received it, abide by it and achieve salvation through it.. “(1 Cor 15, 1). Through the Word, we achieve and spread the salvation of Christ. If we stick to it… Author of the book: “Circle of the Bible, “Roman Brandstätter, convert from Jewry, writes: “Let’s look the truth in the eye. Many people believe Scripture is not necessary for life and faith. They believe in Christ, but they do not know who He is. Their knowledge of the God-man consists of several catechism truths and free, disjointed Gospel stories. It can be almost certainly declared that the broad masses of Catholics believe in Christ but do not know the Scriptures.

However, this ignorance does not bring into doubt their sincere religious consciousness. Yet, it is not difficult to notice that such religious knowledge is detached from its historical roots and manifests in practical life as a mythology with primitive content. Daily reading of the Gospel forces us to compare our lives with Christ’s teachings. A person’s distaste for daily reading of the Holy Scriptures is the fruit of laziness, but it can also come from a feeling of fear before confronting God’s truth. The same author writes about his grandfather, who gave him such advice a few days before his death: “Bible read all the time. Love her more than their parents… More than me… Never break up with her! When you get older, you come to believe that all the books you’ve read in your life are just a lousy comment on this one single book… “Only according to God’s Word can miracles happen, even today. Miracles are always the fruit of living faith.

3. Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man. If Simon Peter had been asked before this meeting: where is God?, he would undoubtedly have answered: “Up, in the heavens. “And if they asked him, “Who is this Jesus in your boat? “he would answer, “He is a craftsman from Nazareth. He has not worked since a specific time. Some say he works miracles, and he also healed my mother-in-law. He may be a prophet. But behold, after the miraculous fishing, Peter says: “Divine things happened in my boat. And the person here, near me, that is not a prophet, that is God, I would say from the flesh and bones, it is God who reveals himself in Jesus. And my worked hands, my hands that are made to pull out fish to divide bread at home, to caress, these hands touch God! “Isaiah was touched by an angel with glowing charcoal from the altar of incense… our mouth touches the body of Christ in the Eucharist … But is it also seen in our actions? I must count on God’s holiness and grace more than with my sinfulness!

4. …they left everything and followed him…After the miraculous fishing, they could have made a significant profit. But they leave everything and follow Jesus. Intuitively, they feel that his presence will give them more! We, too, are invited to love. Despite our weaknesses, we must accept his ways, outlook, and values and discover incomparable happiness. Many prefer people to take care of their goodness, life, and joy. We are also called. He is not absent from this grim-looking world of work. I also ask myself what prevents me from following him – Jesus. Why do I still feel weak or helpless … I will also say to Jesus: “Do I need you?! “