Luke 5:1-11

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8

Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Luke 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening

to the word of God,

he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

He saw two boats there alongside the lake;

the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.

Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,

he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.

Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,

“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

Simon said in reply,

“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,

but at your command I will lower the nets.”

When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish

and their nets were tearing.

They signaled to their partners in the other boat

to come to help them.

They came and filled both boats

so that the boats were in danger of sinking.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,

“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him

and all those with him,

and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,

who were partners of Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;

from now on you will be catching men.”

When they brought their boats to the shore,

they left everything and followed him.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am blessed to hear your Word today and I earnestly desire to learn from your Word and put it into practice. In many ways, I am like Simon. I am deeply aware of my many sins but need to hear the call of your Son to trust in him. I am also like Isaiah, someone with unclean lips, and need the purifying fire of your Spirit.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Simon Peter, From Sinner to Saint: On Saturdays, Jesus taught in the synagogues throughout the region of Galilee. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching outside by the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Lake of Gennesaret and the Sea of Tiberius. Without Jesus, Simon and his business partners toiled all night without any success. With Jesus, they caught so many fish in mid-morning that they needed two boats to bring in the catch. The two boats symbolize that the Apostles will be sent to both Jews and Gentiles. The bark of Peter, the Church, will welcome both. After the miraculous catch of fish, Simon Peter fell to his knees before Jesus and declared that he was “a sinful man.” Jesus responded by telling him, “Do not be afraid.” We hear similar words in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We kneel down, humbly confess our sins, are absolved, and are sent out to love, empowered by the grace of the Holy Spirit. We are called, like Peter, to leave behind our old, sinful ways, and embrace the new life with Jesus once again.

2. Isaiah, From Sinner to Sent: The First Reading, which deals with the prophet Isaiah’s call, anticipates the experience of Peter. Just as Peter was in the presence of the Lord Jesus, Isaiah was in the presence of the Lord God. Just as Peter was overcome by an awareness of his sinfulness, Isaiah was overwhelmed by an awareness of his sin. And just as Peter asked the Lord to depart, Isaiah recognized that he was unfit to stand in the presence of the Holy One. Isaiah referred to himself as a “man of unclean lips.” This echoes how Moses initially objected to his prophetic call, when he claimed to be a “man of uncircumcised lips” (Exodus 6:12). “The responses of both reflect a proper attitude of humility when a prophet is given a divine mission” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, 1178). Simon Peter manifests the same humility when he receives his divine mission from Jesus to be a fisher of men. 

3. The Resurrection of the Dead: In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul proclaims and defends the promised resurrection to eternal, bodily life with God against those in Corinth who mock or reject this hope (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 114). The idea of resurrection from the dead was a controversial yet important topic in Paul’s day. The Bible begins to allude to it in the prophets Isaiah (26:19) and Ezekiel (37:1-10). After the people of Judah returned to Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile, they started to “set their hope of God’s restoration of his people, his reward for the martyrs, and his punishment for the wicked: God would raise the dead for judgment with the living, publicly vindicating the righteous and giving them eternal and glorified bodies (Daniel 12:1; 2 Maccabees 7:7-38 14:46). Innocent suffering and martyrdom will not go unrewarded, and the wicked will be called to account. God will restore his good creation, and death will be ‘swallowed’ up forever (see Isaiah 25:6-12; 65:17-25)” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 114). There were groups like the Sadducees who denied that there would be a resurrection from the dead. In light of this and those who deny the resurrection, Paul wants to teach the Corinthians that belief in Jesus’ resurrection and our future resurrection is an essential part of the Christian understanding of salvation.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I know that you will not give up on me. When I sin you seek me out as the Good Shepherd. When I am weak you offer me the strength of your grace. When I am lost you know where to find me.

Living the Word of God: What is God calling me to leave behind? What sins do I need to confess and receive forgiveness for so that I can be sent out to preach the Good News?