HE CAUGHT THEM!

September 2, 2010

Thursday of Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 5:1-11


Great Catch: A fisherman’s dream:

Peter and his companions had a great catch as they risked their wisdom and dared to obey the command of Jesus. It was a dream catch. The greatest dream a fisherman has is to have a great catch, so great that his life could change. Indeed, this was the day Peter and his companions had it beyond their dream. They caught big. Their nets were tearing up and their boats were about to sink for the quantity of fish they caught that day. Their joy was beyond expression for they had their dream catch when they had given up after all their efforts went dry.

Eyes off from the fish to the Carpenter:
If the fish they caught amazed them, they were all the more amazed when they took off their eyes from their catch to the one who showed them the direction. The Carpenter-teacher, who borrowed Peter’s boat for a while for his teaching has now rewarded them beyond their expectations and imaginations. The fisher men rightly sensed that the Carpenter from Nazareth has a greater wisdom and power than the fisher folk. He knows the direction. It has slowly dawned on them, that, HE IS THE DIRECTION in life. They were caught up in wonder with the wisdom and direction of Jesus.

He Caught Them:
Jesus caught them! More than Peter and the companions with the amazing catch of their lives, it turned out that it was Jesus who had a great catch that day. He caught them by surprise and amazement. He caught them by faith. He caught them by His Divine word of love. Indeed, Peter and his companions realized that this was their day. Their life will be no more the same not because they had their dream catch, but because Jesus has caught them! They wound no more complain for the dearth of fish, for Jesus has offered to teach them the art of fishing. He has promised even greater catch—to catch men for His Kingdom! This realization led them to let go of their dream catch—the jackpot they hit—along with their fishing gear, hired workers, families and friends and follow the carpenter turned Master Fisherman. Now, Jesus not only provides for them, but becomes the boat of their life in which they will cross the ocean of this turbulent world. Jesus has become the fish for them, satisfying them in their physical, spiritual, emotional and social needs. From their job of fishing in the sea, they are now given the vocation to fish people and bring them to the ocean of grace. No more will they need to frantically spin for direction, for they have the sure source of direction with them.

Get Caught:
Do I feel frantic, directionless, and hopeless in my relationships and work? Let me look up to the Lord this day for direction and strength.
Do I allow myself to be caught by grace?
Do I lend my boat for Jesus today?
What are the greatest dreams I cherish in my heart?
Do I bring those dreams to the Lord, and what response do I give Him when He asks me to change the direction and let go of my fears?
How do I open myself, my life and resources to Jesus the Teacher, the Leader, the Motivator, and the Provider?
What are the things the Lord is asking me to risk this day that I may have the greatest catch of my day?
How do I respond to the call of the Lord to join him in “catching men for His Kingdom”?

IMPRESSIVE TO JESUS

August 24, 2010
Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

John 1:45-51

Nathanael was an impressive person. Andrew found him impressive and brought him to Jesus. Jesus found him impressive, even much before he came to Him, and offered him the vision of great things. Jesus was impressed with this rare quality of Nathanael: his innocence, non-duplicity and truthfulness. In the course of events, Nathanael became a changed person. He was now fully impressed with Jesus. He committed his life for Him. From a casual visit to his friend Andrew, Nathanael was led through an unimpressive story about Jesus, to the presence and gaze of Jesus, to the gift of discipleship.

Andrew became the vocation promoter of Nathanael. He employed two tactics in bringing Nathanael to Jesus: Reason and experience. Nathanael took his religion seriously. He knew the scriptures, and cared for the study of scripture. So Andrew opens before him a theological discussion. Since the time Jesus called him, Andrew moved with Jesus, stayed with Him and learned from Him. He was convinced that Jesus is the Messiah whom Israel awaited. Andrew shared with Nathanael this conviction he had, and corroborated it with the strength of scriptural references. Yet, Nathanael is not convinced. Probably he knew the scriptures much better than Andrew. So he stumps Andrew with the question, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Andrew stopped the argumentation. He now used the second tactic: Have a personal experience of Jesus—“Come, and see”. Nathanael accepted this call. He went and saw. But he was surprised to realize that even before he had “come” and “seen” Jesus, the Lord has had already “seen” him! Jesus has seen his past and present. He also reveals to him his future—that Jesus and Nathanael will have the same destiny! Nathanael complimented the vision of Jesus with His commitment to follow Jesus and make His vision true.

We are the apostles of Christ today. Like Andrew, we need to invite people—beginning with those of our friends, relatives and family members—to Jesus. Is it not our experience that we find it difficult to convince them to come to the Lord—to the church, to the daily/Sunday mass and to other sacraments? If you have tried all your catechism and failed to convince people to come to Jesus, try the second tactic of Andrew. Just tell them, “come and see”. We only need to invite them to the Lord. Once they are in His presence, they will be “impressed” by the Lord. He will change them and make them his inner circle of disciples.

As an apostle of Christ, do I take the mission of inviting people to Jesus?
How far does the comment of Jesus “A true child of God, in whom there is no duplicity” apply to me?
When was the last time I realized the gaze of Jesus in my life?