Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick posts videos of her reflections each week at the Facebook of the Sisters of St. Basil the Great.
View them at: https://www.facebook.com/sistersofstbasil.uniontown/.
This is a transcript of her Sept. 21, 2019 reflection.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Have you ever received a gift from someone that was way more than you could have expected from that person? What did it make you feel?
What did it make you think and feel about the person, the giver?
That’s somewhat of what happened in the Gospel I am centering on, Luke 5:1-11, The Miraculous Catch of Fish.
Some people write this off as a vocations story because it ends with the apostles leaving all and following Jesus.
Well, the fishermen only later become apostles as they reach out with the gift of salvation Jesus has brought.
This beautiful story we can easily picture: Jesus preaching near the sea; so many people He asks Simon if He can use his boat and preach just off the shore to a large crowd.
Afterward, Jesus and the fishermen are alone and Jesus says, “Put out into the deep water. Go fishing.”
Peter says, “Well, we did that all night and there wasn’t anything. But since you said to do it, I’ll do that.”
He must have been inspired by that preaching.
So, Peter and the men go to do this deep-sea fishing in the Lake of Gennesaret and catch more fish than one boat can handle.
It’s in two boats and they’re almost sinking because of the weight of this great catch. They are astonished, the Gospel says, and they, hopefully, are thankful.
Peter says, “I’m too sinful to be near someone like You.” Jesus invites them at this time — Peter, probably Andrew, James, John.
He asks them to stay with Him; these simple fishermen. He invites them to that encounter, a lifelong one.
He invites us, too.
How do we respond to a gift greater than one could ever imagine? How are you responding to the One who says, “You will stay with Me, you will bear fruit with Me. Come?”
God bless you.
