First Reading: (1 Corinthians 3:18–23)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 24)-To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
Gospel: (Luke 5:1–11)
In today's Gospel reading, we read about Saint Peter being called by Jesus ti be fisher of men and this reading falls on the feast day of St. Gregory, one of the successors of Saint Peter. How wonderful.
Like Saint Gregory and all those who have succeeded Peter throughout the history of the Church, the successors of Saint Peter have been called to guide the Church. In today’s Gospel, Peter is overwhelmed by the enormous catch of fish. The nets are full. The boats are filled.
But we might ask: were all those fish good fish?
Probably not.
Anyone who has seen a large fishing net knows that a great catch contains all kinds of fish. Some may be worth keeping, while others may have to be thrown away. It is the same when we buy a bushel of apples or tomatoes. When we go through them, we may find a few that are spoiled.
The Church, with its enormous number of members throughout the world, is also made up of all kinds of people.
There are saints.
And there are sinners.
We have had saints such as Saint Gregory the Great. Sadly, we have also had sinners.
Can we live with that reality?
The Church is not a community made up only of perfect people. If people could enter the Church only after becoming completely perfect, there would be no Church at all.
We are all still on the journey.
The Gospel gives us a helpful image in the parable of the wheat and the weeds. The servant wants to remove the weeds immediately, but the master tells him to wait until the harvest, when everything will be separated.
There is wisdom in waiting.
Even what appears imperfect has the opportunity to be transformed. At the harvest, everything will be made right. But for now, we are not yet in heaven.
We live in a world of broken people.
And we live in a Church made up of broken people.
From the beginning of the proclamation of the Gospel, we have been sent out to cast the net and gather people into the Kingdom of God. Those who are gathered are not perfect. Hopefully, through the grace of God, they will be purified and become what they are meant to be-good fish, good sheep, and good wheat.
That is why it is important to have a historical perspective as Christians.
The Church has not always appeared perfect in its human history. There have been crusades, inquisitions, scandals, and many other painful moments. Some of these things can be deeply upsetting.
But we must not forget that the Holy Spirit continues to work in the Church.
It is still the Church that Jesus Christ built upon his apostles.
God has never abandoned his Church.
When Jesus called Saint Peter to be his disciple, he knew what he was doing. Peter became the first Pope, and throughout the centuries the Church has continued under the guidance of Peter’s successors. Was Peter perfect? Not at all.
For now, the Church remains a community of saints and sinners.
Therefore, let us not become discouraged because there are some bad fish in the net.
Let us not become discouraged by difficult personalities, even those we may encounter in church. They are still God’s children. They are still on the journey, just as we are.
What do we expect the Church to be?
It is not a society of perfect people.
It is a community of people, many of whombbroken, trying each day to live in a manner pleasing to God.
Therefore, we should never give up on our parishes.
We should never give up on the universal Church.
And we should never give up on ourselves.
We are not perfect either.
But by God’s grace, we can grow.
When we are baptized, we are not instantly transformed into people who will never sin again. Original sin is washed away, but we still struggle with weakness and sin. Even after we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation and are restored to a state of grace, we must continue the journey of conversion.
We are all called to grow.
So let us not judge ourselves too harshly.
Let us not judge one another.
And let us not judge the Church that Christ himself gave us.
Instead, let us believe that God is with us.
Let us trust that the Holy Spirit continues to guide the Church.
Let us remember that we are all on a journey toward the perfection of the Kingdom of God.
The message of today’s Gospel is ultimately one of hope.
Jesus called Peter, not because Peter was perfect, but because he was willing to trust him. Peter recognized his own sinfulness and fell before Jesus, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
Yet Jesus did not reject him.
Instead, Jesus said:
“Do not be afraid.”
That is the message for us as well.
Do not be afraid of our weaknesses.
Do not give up because we are not yet perfect.
Do not abandon the Church because its members are imperfect.
Trust in God’s grace.
Continue to grow.
Continue to follow Christ.
Like Peter and the first disciples, we are called to leave behind whatever keeps us from following the Lord and to trust him enough to put out into the deep.
The Church is still filled with saints and sinners.
We are still broken people on a journey.
But God has not abandoned us.
The Holy Spirit is still at work.
And by the grace of God, we continue moving forward until the day when we reach the fullness of the Kingdom and become what God has called us to be.
Amen 🙏
No comments:
Post a Comment