5^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (C); February 9, 2025

Is 6:1-2a, 3-8.  Ps 138.  ! Cor 15:1-11.  Lk 5:1-11

Deacon Jim McFadden

                        When Jesus jumps into our boat, just as he did with Peter in today’s Gospel, requires us to live out of two fundamental attitudes that enable us to become disciples, which is embedded in our baptism.  The first is listening to the word, and the second is living the word. 

            First, listening, because everything begins with this.  Keep in mind that Jesus reveals to us that he is Truth itself (cf. Jn 14:6) and he is going to communicate the Truth to us, which means we have to listen: we have to open ourselves to him, welcoming his presence in our lives, and pay attention to what he wants to say to us.  We saw this in our first reading with the majestic vision of Isaiah, who finds himself in the presence of God.  He heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us? (Is 6:8a).  Isaiah is listening and how does he respond?  “Here I am;” I said. “send me!” (v. 8b).  Notice the sequence: God took the initiative, intrudes himself into Isaiah’s life, spoke to him, and Isaiah responded: he acted.

            That’s the dynamic of how Jesus relates to us.  We listen to his Word, we allow the seed of the Word seep into our hearts and thus change the way we think, feel, and act.  The Word of God given and received through listening, wishes to become alive in us, transform us, and become incarnate in our lives.

            This pattern is played out in today’s Gospel.  The Evangelist relates that many people flocked to Jesus and “the crowd was pressing in or him to hear the word of God” (Lk 5:1).  They were looking for Jesus, and they were hungering and thirsting for what he has to say.  This scene will be frequently repeated throughout the Gospels.  Why?  Because we are made in the image of God, we’re hard-wired to seek the Truth because God is Truth itself.  Our heart is searching for the Truth that will not pass away but will feed and satisfy our hunger for happiness that will not fade away.  We cannot be satisfied with human words, with conventional wisdom and secular judgments as to what is important.  Rather we want a Light that will illuminate our journey, a living water that will quench our yearning for purpose and meaning, that will console us no matter what our situation may be.  Such Truth and Light will never disappoint us because it comes from God, which Jesus embodies. 

            So, the first step in this task is to know how to listen to the only Word that can save.  We do that by allowing Jesus to enter into our boat, into our Soul.  Notice that Jesus doesn’t ask to get into the boat, but he simply gets into the fisherman’s boat without being invited.  He insinuates himself in the most direct way into Simon’s life and he begins to give orders, telling Simon to put out from the shore and then go out into the deep.  The Word of the Lord cannot remain in the domain of abstraction, but needs to be acted upon.  Simon has a choice: what is he going to do?  Despite fishing all night with no success, Simon obeys because Jesus said so; he casts his nets into “into the deep.” 

            This scene illustrates the single most important decision that we will make in our life: will be we cooperate with Jesus once he decides to get into our boat?  Will we listen to him?  Will we throw our nets—everything we are and have—into the depths of the sea of our world, running the risk of living the Love that is incarnated in Jesus? 

            Brothers and sisters, this is the fundamental choice: everything else in our life is secondary, is mere commentary.  When the Lord Jesus gets into our boat and speaks to us, he will always lead us into the depths.  St. John Paul II referred to this as the “Duc in altum” (“Put into the deep”).  Is this dangerous?  You bet because we are giving our absolute allegiance to Jesus.  Is it more exciting?  Absolutely, because our life becomes one of spiritual transformation .  And, the depths are of eternal significance, which has nothing to do what the world considers important or exciting. 

            People of God, do not prevent Jesus from “jumping into our boat.”  Let us listen to him because his words will turn our lives around, to radically change us at the very core of our being.  Keeping our gaze on him, listening to his words that are of “eternal life,” let us act on his Word in which his love will be incarnated in our lives.  As we receive his love, as we put his love into action, our hearts will be converted and that we, too, will do what Simon joyfully did: “to leave everything and follow him” (v. 11).

            Let us call upon the Blessed Virgin Mary who attentively listened to the Word of God and acted upon it: Let it be done to me according to your word.” Amen.

            Reflection Questions:

1. How do you respond when Jesus “jumps into your boat”?
2. Do you frequently listen to the Lord?  How do you do that?
3. Are you permitting Jesus to “put you into the deep”?