Scripture:
1 Corinthians 3:18-23
Luke 5:1-11
Reflection:
So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you…
and you to Christ, and Christ to God. -1 Corinthians 3:21,23
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.’ -Luke 5:8
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that we are called to a personal relationship with God. And yet, time and time again, both in the stories from our faith tradition and our personal lives we find ourselves turning away from that relationship.
In our gospel today we hear the story of how Jesus was preaching at the edge the sea of Galilee (called Lake of Gennesaret in this passage) when He climbs into a boat and asked the fishermen to row out a short way because the crowd is pushing in so close. Of course, the boat belongs to Simon (later to be named Peter). After He is done preaching, He instructs Peter to put out into the water and drop his nets. After a short protest, Peter does so. And, lo and behold, the catch was so large that another boat is required to help haul it in.
And Peter responds the way most humans do when confronted with the vastness of God’s love and desire for relationship with us: he turns away. “Depart from me!” he cries. What is it about the goodness and greatness of God that causes us to turn away? Perhaps we become overwhelmed when confronted with the vast difference between our lowly selves and the immensity of God. But while that difference is true, God has told us again and again that He desires to bridge that gap and be in relationship with us. No matter how many times we turned away we find God calls us back.
The desire of God to be in relationship with His creation is so great that He sent His only son to live and be with us. Paul tells us we’re not to boast or place our trust in humans, for we have Christ in us and so we are in God.
My prayer today for myself and for everyone today is that we freely move into relationship with God and allow Him and Christ to be the center of our world.
Talib Huff is a retired teacher and a member of the retreat team at Christ the King Passionist Retreat Center in Citrus Heights, California. You can contact him at [email protected].