GO OUT INTO THE DEEP

In today’s liturgy, the Gospel according to Luke presents the story of the call of the first disciples,
with an original version that differs from that of the other two Synoptic Gospels, Matthew and Mark
(cf. Mt 4: 18-22; Mk 1:16-20). The call, in fact, was preceded by the teaching of Jesus to the crowd
and a miraculous catch of fish, carried out by the will of the Lord (Lk 5:1-6). In fact, while the
crowd rushes to the shore of Lake Genesaret to hear Jesus, he sees Simon discouraged because he
has caught nothing all night. First Jesus asks to get into Simon’s boat in order to preach to the
people standing a short distance from the shore; then, having finished preaching, he commands
Simon to go out into the deep with his friends and cast their nets (cf. v. 5). Simon obeys, and they
catch an incredible amount of fish. In this way, the evangelist shows how the first disciples followed
Jesus, trusting him, relying on his Word, all the while accompanied by miraculous signs. We note
that, before this sign, Simon addresses Jesus, calling him “Master” (v. 5), while afterwards he
addresses him as “Lord” (v. 7). This is the pedagogy of God’s call, which does not consider the
quality of those who are chosen so much as their faith, like that of Simon that says: “At your word,
I will let down the nets” (v. 5).
The image of the fish refers to the Church’s mission. St Augustine says in this regard, “Twice the
disciples went out to fish at the Lord’s command: once before the Passion and the other time after
the Resurrection. In the two scenes of fishing, the entire Church is depicted: the Church as it is
now and as it will be after the resurrection of the dead. Now it gathers together a multitude,
impossible to number, comprising the good and the bad; after the resurrection, it will include only
the good”. The experience of Peter, certainly unique, is nonetheless representative of the call of
every apostle of the Gospel, who must never be discouraged in proclaiming Christ to all men, even
to the ends of the world. However, today’s text is a reflection on the vocation, our calling from
God. It is the work of God. The human being is not the author of his own life (vocation) but
responds to the divine calling. Human weakness should not be afraid if God calls. It is necessary
to have confidence in His strength, which acts in our poverty; we must rely more and more on the
power of his mercy, which transforms and renews.
May this Word of God revive in us and in our Church courage, confidence, and enthusiasm in
proclaiming and witnessing to the Gospel. Let us not allow failures and difficulties lead to
discouragement: it is our task to cast our nets in faith — the Lord will do the rest.