Working all night

The prayer of Paul for the Colossians in the text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary is one for knowledge of God’s^* will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. This desire often crosses the mind of the believer. What is the will of God? The psalmist praises that the Lord has made known His victory in the steadfast love and faithfulness to Israel. Frank Doyle SJ in the Living Space blog comments on the passage in the Gospel of Luke where the expert fisher Peter is confronted by the amateur teacher and preacher Jesus telling him to go and cast his nets where the expert knows there are no fish. Frank Doyle notes that this Gospel to the Gentiles was likely written by using the other Gospel accounts of the calling of the disciples and perhaps the post resurrection account of Peter fishing just prior to his reconciliation with the resurrected Jesus. Our western mind would prefer to treat the Gospel as journalistic and linear in time, written without objectives and goals to teach particular audiences at particular time. What challenge does this passage present in developing our spiritual wisdom and understanding? The boat of Peter, the Church, when it attends to the Spirit of Jesus, is fruitful in bringing many to Christ. We can expect to be overwhelmed like Peter by this attraction and our pride and expertise will be humbled and we will strain under the overwhelming graciousness of God for His Creation. We will be prepared, as Luke insists is the response of the true disciple, to leave everything, following Him after working all night in which we have caught nothing.