Homily for Sunday Ordinary 5 C

Simon Peter is all in. He is entirely present to himself; not just Simon, the big hearted, impulsive man, “If you say so, I will let down the nets.” But Peter as well, the one who will hand Jesus over out of fear: “I don’t know him!”

I have Mass on Sunday, February 9

at St. Isidore, 9:30/11:30 am

at St. Andrew, 5:00 pm

frjoedailey@gmail.com

Transcript

A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to Luke. 

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the Word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gnezeret. 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." More 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. 

The Gospel of the Lord. 

All three of today's readings follow a familiar pattern. After a whole night of fishing with nothing to show for it, Jesus calls Simon to put out into the deeper water. In the face of God's overflowing abundance, Simon Peter feels completely overwhelmed, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." Jesus is not put off. He said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." 

Isaiah's vision takes place in the year King Uzziah died. This story also begins in the midst of a failed kingdom. When Isaiah sees the true King, the Lord of hosts, seated on the throne, Isaiah is deeply aware of his own unworthiness, "Woe is me, I am doomed," but the voice calls, "Whom shall I send?" 

The pattern is repeated with Paul. He was on a mission to persecute Christians when God called out to him. As Jesus said in response to Paul's prayer in 2 Corinthians, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 

The spiritual path always leads downward before we go up. When Jesus came up out of the waters, the heavens were torn open and a voice said, “You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.”

Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle loves to remind us that the God of love doesn't see sin. Our God sees son (and daughter). We Catholics believe that every person is made in God’s image. We believe that every person has inherent dignity and every life is sacred. The absolute worst thing we could ever do cannot change this basic truth. God isn't hoping for our goodness, since we are already good. God longs for us to see it.

Jesus met Simon in chapter 4. When he saw the two boats, he got into the one belonging to Simon. He said to Simon … Simon answered … and so on.

But after catching so many fish that the boat nearly sank, notice the name change, chapter 5:8, “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus.” Simon isn’t given the name Peter until the next chapter. Luke has given us a key in today’s Gospel to unlock the rest of the story.

Simon Peter is all in. He is entirely present to himself. Not just Simon, the big-hearted impulsive man, "If you say so, I will let down the nets." But Peter as well, the one who will hand Jesus over out of fear. "I don't know him."

Jesus loves Simon Peter entirely because there's no way into belonging to the church or as we might say, no new identity except being forgiven. The teaching of Christ is passed from those who are being forgiven to those who are being forgiven. 

Remember the scene in the Passion Gospel when Peter is warming himself with the fire in the courtyard of the high priest? Peter denies Jesus three times, just as Jesus had predicted. At that moment, the cock crowed. Now only in Luke do we have this next line. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Peter remembered what Jesus had predicted. He went out and wept bitterly. 

What did Peter see in the eyes of Jesus that pierced his heart? I don't think he saw condemning judgmental eyes. Neither do I think he saw disappointed eyes. I think Peter saw eyes that were filled with understanding and compassion. In the eyes of Jesus, Peter saw the one who insists on loving him into life beyond his fear and inadequacies. 

Our Seminary Scripture Professor, Father Jack Castelot, used to say that the Bible tells the same story over and over again. Three words, "call," "fall," and "recall." Luke, as you know, wrote two volumes. The rest of the story is in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 10. 

A short time after Pentecost, Peter had gone up on the roof to pray. At about noon he was hungry. As he is preparing something to eat, he falls into a trance and has this dream. Sheets are lowered down with all the animals that walk on the earth and the birds, and a voice says, "Take and eat." Like a good Jew, Peter says, "God forbid that I should allow anything impure or profane to pass my lips." And three times God says to him, "Do not call impure and profane, that which I call clean." 

Three times. After the third time, while he is puzzling what this means, some men arrive from the house of a Gentile, Cornelius. They call out, "Is Simon, who is called Peter, staying here?" It's deja vu all over again for poor Peter. The other time he tried three times to deny something, a voice had rung out. The cock crows with exactly the same verb in Greek as the servants of Cornelius cry out in the Acts of the Apostles. 

On his way to Cornelius, he starts to realize God shows no partiality. And when he gets to Cornelius' house, he realizes that God has already poured out his spirit on the Gentiles, overwhelmed. Peter declares, "God has shown me that I should not call any person profane or unclean." And with that, Peter opens heaven to the Gentiles. 

This is really a story about God, and God's ability not only to call us, but also to create us as people who are able to follow. Any encounter with Christ will always draw us in deeper. Our lives will no longer be the same, because when it comes to God's call, there is always a catch.