Gospel of Luke 5:1-11

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls simple fishermen, Simon and his partners, James and John, to follow Him and to become “fishers of men.” These fishermen abandoned their nets and their old lifestyles to follow Christ and to take on a new kind of fishing; namely, attracting their fellowmen and women to follow the good news of Christ.

Responding to the call of Christ was difficult for the disciples back then just as it is difficult for us today. We realize, like the disciples, that we may be led where we do not want to go. We will, like them, stumble like children who have much to learn. The stories of these disciples, however, inspire us with confidence because we realize, from their experiences, that God is always there, in good times and in bad, urging us along, teaching us, seeking us out and sometimes catching us out.

Experience, they say, is the best teacher. It is only natural that we turn to those whose experiences can instruct and inspire us. The disciples have made this awesome journey before us. We look to them for advice and direction. They have fought the good fight and they prevailed by the grace of God. St. Paul called himself “the least of the apostles” because, in his past life, “he persecuted the church of God”( 1 Corinthians 15 : 1-11 ). Yet, Christ called this most unlikely of men to spread the good news of the gospel, far and wide, to the gentiles.

The business of every Christian is to follow Christ. That’s what the first disciples show us. They were known as “the people of the way.” By following Christ, who is the way, people will know that you are a true disciple. Christianity is a way of life rather than an ideology. It is rooted in following the example of Jesus, not in disinterested recriminations or disputations that seem to divide rather than unite.

Let everyone around you know how much you love the Lord by what you do rather than by what you say. Be fishers of men then by attracting others by what you do because your business as a Christian is to follow the example of the Lord.

Like the first disciples, we are called to keep our hearts open to the ways the Lord is leading us. When our hearts tend to crust over, we are reminded in the scriptures to cast our bread upon the waters, to spread His word, and to love one another as He has loved us.

Fr. Hugh Duffy