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| Looking for a sign |
In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul urges the community that their perceptions should be reversed.
* [3:21–23] These verses pick up the line of thought of 1 Cor 1:10–13. If the Corinthians were genuinely wise (1 Cor 3:18–20), their perceptions would be reversed, and they would see everything in the world and all those with whom they exist in the church in their true relations with one another. Paul assigns all the persons involved in the theological universe a position on a scale: God, Christ, church members, church leaders. Read from top to bottom, the scale expresses ownership; read from bottom to top, the obligation to serve. This picture should be complemented by similar statements such as those in 1 Cor 8:6 and 1 Cor 15:20–28.The Gospel from Luke tells of the awe in the response of Peter to Jesus action that converts him to a disciple.
* [5:1–11] This incident has been transposed from his source, Mk 1:16–20, which places it immediately after Jesus makes his appearance in Galilee. By this transposition Luke uses this example of Simon’s acceptance of Jesus to counter the earlier rejection of him by his hometown people, and since several incidents dealing with Jesus’ power and authority have already been narrated, Luke creates a plausible context for the acceptance of Jesus by Simon and his partners. Many commentators have noted the similarity between the wondrous catch of fish reported here (Lk 5:4–9) and the post-resurrectional appearance of Jesus in Jn 21:1–11. There are traces in Luke’s story that the post-resurrectional context is the original one: in Lk 5:8 Simon addresses Jesus as Lord (a post-resurrectional title for Jesus—see Lk 24:34; Acts 2:36—that has been read back into the historical ministry of Jesus) and recognizes himself as a sinner (an appropriate recognition for one who has denied knowing Jesus—Lk 22:54–62). As used by Luke, the incident looks forward to Peter’s leadership in Luke-Acts (Lk 6:14; 9:20; 22:31–32; 24:34; Acts 1:15; 2:14–40; 10:11–18; 15:7–12) and symbolizes the future success of Peter as fisherman (Acts 2:41).Scott McClure cites “Life of the Beloved” by Henri Nouwen who discusses what it means to be chosen by God.
He explains that, whereas there is a competitive element to being “chosen” in human terms, no such element is present when God chooses. He does so in a way that touches each person uniquely and in their uniqueness. Notice, also, that Jesus does not make the conventional choice based upon those we may elevate with special importance in human terms. Jesus chooses not those whom others would have seen as elite, but fishermen. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God… (1 COR 3:19)Don Schwager quotes Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD) on how by faith Peter casts the nets of Christ's teaching.
"'That you may understand that the Lord was speaking of spiritual fishing, however, Peter says, 'Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.' It is as if he were saying, 'Through the whole night our fishing has brought us nothing, and we have been laboring in vain. Now I will not fish with fishing gear but with grace, not with diligence acquired by skill but with the perseverance acquired by devotion.' When Peter lets down the nets at the word, therefore, he is in fact letting down the teachings in Christ. When he unfolds the tightly woven and well-ordered nets at the command of the Master, he is really laying out words in the name of the Savior in a fitting and clear fashion. By these words he is able to save not creatures but souls. 'We toiled all night,' he says, 'and took nothing.' Peter, who beforehand was unable to see in order to make a catch, enduring darkness without Christ, had indeed toiled through the whole night. But when the Savior's light shone upon him the darkness scattered, and by faith he began to discern in the deep what he could not see with his eyes." (excerpt from SERMON 110.2.1)The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 5:1-11 notes there’s a connection between the miracle of Peter’s great catch of fish and Jesus’ call to evangelize that we can easily miss: it wasn’t Peter’s great catch!
The Lord has some specific callings for each of us in this life, things that only we can do. So how do we answer that call? Of course, God wants us to use our natural abilities. But he also wants us to acknowledge our need for help—and not just when we work really hard and come up empty! He wants us to call on him in whatever we are doing. And just as Peter was astonished by the great haul of fish, so might we be when we see how God can enhance and multiply our own effortsWhat G. R. Miller tried to do is take all of the pieces of "the puzzle" and give the world the "right path to walk" until the end of the age, particularly during this current presidential administration.
Rex Tillerson spent his entire professional career working for a company who's primary business is fossil fuels energy and even though Exxon knew in 1977 about the destructive effects to mankind of burning fossil fuels, they chose not to share it with the public. Miller was laid off in June 2009 as a Senior Project Manager, while working on the early stages of large refinery project in Colombia. It was the best career change of his life.Friar Jude Winkler characterizes the Gnostics of the Corinthian community as people who thought that had a special relationship to the Holy Spirit. Like Peter, “depart from me”, is a response we may have to recognition of the awesome and encountering the Holy. Friar Jude comments that even the impetuous nature of Peter, not necessarily a positive talent, is evidence that even our weakness is a vehicle for compassion and sharing.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, notes that the desert tradition preceded the emergence of systematic theology and formal doctrine. Christian faith was first a lifestyle before it was a belief system. Since the desert dwellers were often formally uneducated, they told stories, much like Jesus did, to teach about essential issues of ego, love, virtue, surrender, peace, divine union, and inner freedom. He quotes Thomas Merton on the nature of finding true self in the desert.
Thomas Merton described those early Christians in the wilderness as people “who did not believe in letting themselves be passively guided and ruled by a decadent state,” who didn’t wish to be ruled or to rule. He continues, saying that they primarily sought their “true self, in Christ”; to do so, they had to reject “the false, formal self, fabricated under social compulsion ‘in the world.’ They sought a way to God that was uncharted and freely chosen, not inherited from others who had mapped it out beforehand.” [2] Can you see why we might need to learn from them?Our state in life today is the foundation for our continued conversion through openness to the awesome often hidden in daily experience.
References
(n.d.). 1 Corinthians chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 6, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/3
(n.d.). Luke chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 6, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/5
n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved September 6, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 6, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
(n.d.). 22nd Week in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved September 6, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/
(2018, July 27). GOD'S FURY by G.R. MILLER God's Fury The Book. Retrieved September 6, 2018, from http://www.tribulation7.com/gods-fury---the-book
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 6, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/
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