5th Sunday after Epiphany
Luke 5:1-11
Jesus calls the first disciples
1As Jesus stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd gathered around him to hear the word of God,
2he saw by the lake two boats, from which the fishermen had descended to wash their nets.
3He got into one of these boats, which belonged to Simon, and he asked him to get away a little from the land. Then he sat down, and from the boat he taught the crowd.
4When he cease hadd speaking, he said to Simon, “Come into the open water, and cast down your nets to fish.
5Simon answered him, “Teacher, we have worked all night without taking anything; but, at your word, I will let down the net.
6They cast it down and caught a great number of fish, and their net broke.
7They reported to their companions who were in the other boat to come and help them. They came and they filled the two boats, so that they sank.
8When he saw this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus’ knees and said, Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.
9For terror had seized him and all those who were with him because of the fishing they had done.
10So it was with James and John the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s associates. Then Jesus said to Simon, Fear not; henceforth you will be a fisher of men.
lepers
11 And bringing the boats ashore, they left everything and followed him.
Introduction
Many people followed Jesus to hear his teaching, but told them he must go on to tell others the good news [Luke 4:42-44].
On meeting a leper on his way who asked him to heal him, Jesus, without further ado, touched him and instantly restored him. His fame was growing everywhere and crowds came from all parts to hear him [5:12-15].
The meeting with the first disciples
In the same circumstances where he preached near a lake to teach the word of God in front of a large crowd who listened to him, seeing several sinners who were throwing their traps towards the pond to catch fish without success, Jesus approached one of them, named Simon, telling him to dump her again. They caught an excessive number of fish.
Amazed, they humbled themselves before Jesus who comforted them, saying that from now on they would be fishers of men. Having left everything, the fishermen followed him [vv. 1-11].
This illustration from the Book of Luke can in no way leave us indifferent to our many occupations which are in all respects comparable to the lessons from which the Lord draws to bring us back to the Creator.
On the one hand, Jesus declares “for this is why I was sent”, to teach the good news of the kingdom of God [4:43]; and on the other, to confirm the power of God by signs and wonders of all kinds [Ac. 2:22].
The conditions of success
Human beings want to win at all costs so as never to lose if it were possible, whatever the nature of their work. Jesus combines the two: the work of human beings and that of God to show the purpose for which we can gain more if we follow him by contributing to the good news of the Kingdom. Winning in the sense of picking up, winning, receiving beyond our expectations is therefore this demonstration that Christ has just offered to humanity: success!
If the fishermen were greatly wounded for catching so many fish that the traps were torn apart, how much will it be for those who today obey the teaching of Christ to live a full life of success? in reconciling the work of God with human responsibilities.
Likewise, if listening is important, it is equally important to learn to recognize the signs of God in our life, and having recognized them, to accept them as such. Simon recognizes in the overabundant peach the finger of the Lord, he doesn’t say “Bof, it’s chance! It’s a stroke of luck! On the contrary, he becomes aware of his state of sinner, he has no merit of such a grace and it is in all humility that he accepts it.
- Instead of ignoring, the crowd began to listen to Christ’s teaching.
- Instead of doubting, Simon believed in the word of Christ
- Instead of saving, the fisherman agrees to cast the net as Christ asked
- Instead of being proud of having caught all these fish, the fishermen lowered themselves before the Author of their success, Christ.
- Instead of their swollen stomachs with pride, they demonstrated their insufficiency.
- Instead of showing their courage, they did not hide their fear.
- Instead of leaving them apprehensive, Jesus gave them confidence.
- Instead of returning to their codfish, they preferred to follow Christ.
The instructions of Christ
Today we have the choice to understand that we are concerned in the same way as fishermen. By meeting the “Master” as is the case today in his silent and invisible divine presence, I invite you to lay the hook of your work in his hands to welcome his instructions of blessings and success.
The columnist Simplement Francis writes: “To change your destiny and live the life you dream of, it is important that you are accompanied and above all that you have the concrete techniques to apply on a daily basis. Most people refuse to step out of their comfort zone and don’t want to change their habits. Fear of change, social pressure. There are a whole host of explanations for not acting. The solution lies within you. Self-confidence is worked on a daily basis with the right actions. For Alex Cormont in a video where he shares asset no. 1 of a successful person adds: “To be successful in life is to give your all! Don’t let doubt take over your mind and don’t procrastinate.To be successful quickly but also over time, it is necessary to have a clear organization in order to be able to move forward. »[^1]: Taken from: https://www.lesmotspositifs.com/blogue/14-etapes-pour-reussir-et-avoir-plus-de-succes-dans-la-vie/
February 5, 2022.
Jesus shows everyone that the source of success is God; not our knowledge, our connections, our pastor, nor our intelligence, nor our abilities. It must become clearer and clearer in our thinking: there is no success for a child of God without God. These anglers should have knowledge of how to spear; in other words, they had the experience. But they couldn’t amass the number of poisons they wanted even after spending a whole sleepless night. What a disappointment!
Which contradicts Alex or Francis, that success is not attributed to everyone despite the efforts of each other; in other words, all would be rich.
The Book of Luke clearly shows us that God is the author of all success.He gave us the instructions for a life of success in the teaching of Christ, on our relationship with God. The relationship cannot exist without responsibility. Christ was the first to demonstrate this mission to witness to the work of the Father. He was therefore the one who brought change in continuity so as to see through the glasses of his teaching, the reconciliation of God’s work and human responsibilities.
The responsibilities cover both our earthly and divine mission by fulfilling our aspirations and those of God by:
1. the responsibility of salvation on man;
2. responsibility for salvation to God;
3. through cooperation between God and his creatures where salvation comes from God but requires a human response.
