Thursday of the
Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
(Colossians 1:9-14; Luke 5:1-11)
When people win at a slot machine in a casino, almost
invariably they play again. Whether they
think they may be on a winning streak or feel a pang to give back some of what
they have taken, they feed the slot least one more coin. Fishing may be compared to gaming inasmuch as
luck is involved. Therefore, one might
expect Simon, James, and John to go into the deep at least one more time after
the miraculous catch they make in today’s gospel.
But the account indicates that the three do not even bother
to sell the fish that they have hauled in.
Rather, they leave at once everything to follow Jesus. Their reason is obvious. Despite the fact that Jesus is “Lord” in whose
presence they cannot help but feel unworthy, he has called them to follow
him. At this point returning to
fisherman’s life would be like preferring to view Roman graffiti to
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
Jesus also calls us to do likewise. No, he does not mean for all to leave their
careers, but he insists that we look at what we do in a new way. We will no longer work primarily for our own
benefit but to serve him. Whether we are
builders or beauticians, assembly line workers or sales reps, we will make sure
that what we are doing conforms to his righteousness and then redouble our
efforts so that our work honors him.
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