NETS OF GOD'S MERCY – 02/06/22 (Sunday)

Luke 5:3-4,8

3 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. 4 And when He had ceased speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." 

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Blessed Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time! Jesus sat on the boat of Simon to teach the people. When He ceased speaking, He told Simon Peter to let down his nets. This is important because this signifies that after the ministry of Christ and His Ascension, St. Peter, together with other apostles, is tasked to continue the mission of preaching the gospel for people to know the teachings of Jesus. When St. Peter witnessed the miracle of catching innumerable fishes, he saw the his unworthiness and the glory of Jesus as our Lord. Even though we are unworthy of our own to enter heaven because of our sins, our Lord is merciful, and He teaches us the truth of the gospel, so sinners can be united with Him forever.

Like St. Peter and the other disciples of Christ, we are also called to preach the gospel and to share His teachings with other people. God calls us to preach the gospel in our words and actions. However, one obstacle that we can experience is when we recognize the sins that others committed against us. We can be tempted of departing from other sinners thinking that we should not do good deeds to them. But, maybe, it's because of our wounds that we think this way. We can learn from the example St. Paul Miki, one of the most known martyrs of Japan. He was executed in Japan, together with other martyrs, for spreading the teachings of Catholic faith. But, even at the moment of his execution, when he was hanging on the cross, he was still preaching the gospel. He hoped that people would find happiness in Christ, he prayed that his enemies would obtain God's mercy, and he had forgiven them for their sins as an imitation of the example of Christ.

Our work in our proclamation of the faith is primarily the work of God. God is the one who catches people, and we are His nets. We are the instruments of His mercy. Because of this, we should desire what God desires, and that is the salvation of all sinners, not just us. The more that we reflect upon our sinfulness, the more that we should be diligent in desiring the salvation of other sinners. We should accept God's invitation of saying good words and doing good actions, even to people who offend us. May we reflect on God's will as to how we can share His teachings to other people. And, let's forgive our enemies from the bottom of our hearts. The Holy Spirit will guide us in becoming His instruments, so other people can participate in the glory of God in heaven. 

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic