From a Night of Struggle to a Day of Fullness

 Fr. Pothin’s Reflection for July 23, 2017

We have toiled all the night, and have caught nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word I will.(Luke 5:5)  The above is a famous quote of Peter from the episode of the Gospel’s account appointed for this Sunday: the story of the great fishing, or the miraculous fishing. The story does not begin by the miracle; it starts by recounting a sad experience Peter and his companions went through the night before. These fishermen spent the whole night fishing but caught nothing. What went wrong?  This was indeed a night of struggle.

Have you been there? Where, for unknown reasons, your life just falls apart, your train derails, your clock stops ticking, and your heart beat seems unfelt? Then you desperately ask yourself what went wrong? What did I do?

Peter is our pioneer and model, for he teaches us how to handle life in the middle of chaos. When Jesus appeared to him early in the morning, and asked him to move into deep water and let down the nets, Peter obeyed. He did not know at that time that the man asking him was Jesus. Peter, who knew from years of experience that fishing at daytime in the deep water is foolish and unproductive, did not argue. He simply stated, “We have toiled all the night, and have caught nothing. Nevertheless, at thy word I will.” What a lesson of trust and hope we are seeing here. Peter surrendered. He let go, and let God take over.

The miracle, the true miracle is always the last of a three step journey that begins from a night of struggle, through a morning of surrender, to a day of fullness.

Beyond every limited human act, there is an unlimited Divine Being, who makes possible things that appear impossible to “you-men.”

–Fr Pothin