4th Sunday in Ordinary TIme

From the Gospel, Jesus said to Simon Peter to “put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”  Simon was reluctant to start the process of fishing again because the fish just weren’t biting since they had caught nothing all night.  Peter was a professional fisherman, and yet he did what the Lord asked him to do.   From the Gospel account, we know that when the nets went back into the water, the catch of fish was almost immediate.  The nets were straining from the number of fish.

Jesus’ presence has created abundance out of scarcity just as Jesus did at the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee when he changed the water into wine.

As we pray over this Gospel account, I invite you to hear the call of Jesus to put out into the deep water --- the area beyond your comfort zone, where you can’t touch the bottom, where you have to take the risk of trusting more fully in the Lord’s grace for you, where you have to give up control of the situation and then to experience the abundance of God’s grace in extravagant ways.

What is the deep water in your spiritual life in which the Lord is calling you with the absolute confidence that His grace is sufficient for you?

Deep water can be the challenge of forgiving someone who has hurt you.  Who is the person in your life you have a hard time sharing the forgiveness that God so readily forgives you?

To look at the other side of the coin, deep water can be our need to ask for forgiveness of someone we have hurt.  It is very spiritual to say I am sorry, and I ask for your forgiveness.

We are here at Mass this moment.  We do this faithfully each week.  This is a beautiful form of prayer in our spiritual life.  But the Lord is a restless God and asks to take the next step in the spiritual life in going out into the deep water.  We are missioned to be prayerful each and every day.

I recommend participating in the parish’s DISCOVERING CHRIST – a seven week spiritual renewal opportunity beginning Monday evening, March 4 ^th.  This is an opportunity to share a meal, to share friendship with other parishioners, a time for prayer, a time for learning more about your spiritual journey, and, most importantly, an opportunity to come to Know Jesus more deeply in your heart and in your life.

Yes, you live a busy life and can easily think your plate is already full.  But the Lord’s call to go out into the deep and take the next step in the spiritual life needs to be listened to.  I invite you to chat after Mass in the gathering space with parishioners who have participated in Discovering Christ to see it this initiative is right for you.

What is the spiritual deep water for you in terms of a stewardship of treasure?   For sure, you want to provide for your financial security and the financial security of your family? The deep water may be the challenge to share that which you have previously thought to be impossible.  We are blessed financially and we know the words of the Lord that to whom much is given, much is required.  Most of us are capable of going into the deeper water of sharing a bit more that we are used to.

You received in the mail this week a parish commitment card inviting you to make your financial pledge to the parish in 2019.  Next Sunday is our Stewardship Commitment Sunday, and we are asking you to place this commitment card in the collection next Sunday indicating your invitation to go out into the deep in sharing the financial giftedness in which you have been blessed with.  I am going to increase my financial giving to the parish, and I invite you to do the same.

Now I realize all too full the dark cloud of sexual abuse that hangs over the Church today.  This is very painful for me, and I know it is very painful for you.  There is no justification for the sin and the crime of sexual abuse.  There is no justification for any cover-up.  The Church needs to be proactive in moving heaven and earth to insure that sexual abuse is not tolerated in any way.

Some would say that we should withhold our giving to our parish and our Church.  While I fully understand the anger that is in the hearts of people, this is not the time to abandon the ship of our faith life.  Rather, we need to come together in solidarity to stand for the message of Jesus and to insure the Gospel message of love, forgiveness, healing, and care for one another characterizes the life of our parish community.

In these challenging times, my commitment to is continue as your pastor and to continue to stand for the better angels of who we are as a people of God.  We are not perfect; we are sinners; and we are the recipients of the extravagant love of our God.  Further, we are committed to share of our time, talent, and treasure in the service and the building of our parish community.

May we always be a community who deepens our relationship with the Lord Jesus.  Discovering Christ is the deep water we are inviting you to participate in this Lenten season.

What is the deep water you are called in considering your stewardship of treasure?  I invite you to bring this to bring to prayer as you make your commitment next weekend in our Stewardship Commitment Sunday.

Perhaps the question of the day is whether we are willing to allow Jesus to commandeer our boats.  Peter would warn us that allowing Jesus onto our turf will not turn out as we might expect.  We will become painfully aware of our inadequacy and sinfulness.  And in the midst of that, we may be captivated and discover how our small faith and tiny hopes can grow into extraordinary and miraculously realistic expectations. 

As Americans as we are surrounded by violence, prejudice, hatred, and terrorist threats, how do we do our part in developing a culture of love in which we seek to serve and care for all of God’s people?

The conversion we seek is to respond God’s call to go out into the deep and lower our nets not just for a catch of fish but to be fishers of men and women in all the ways we are called to serve and help one another.  In the words of St John of the Cross:  “In the evening, we are going to be judged by love alone.”