Based on turnout for the vigil Masses last night and now the morning Masses today, we can make two assumptions: not too many people will be at church this afternoon before kickoff and we will add a new category to Christmas/Easter Catholics; Who Dat Catholics. So let’s all agree: Geaux Saints!
Besides the Saints, one of the great things about living down here in south Louisiana is fishing. We have it all; salt water, fresh water; deep sea water. We catch trout, redfish, catfish, bass, perch, and more. One day while observing fishermen having a bad day on the water, a game warden observed Boudreaux paddling in on a pirogue loaded with fish. For days this continued; no one caught fish but Boudreaux kept paddling in with a mess of fish. The game warden told Boudreaux that he would join him tomorrow on his fishing trip to observe his successful technique.
The two men met up the next day and Boudreaux paddled out to deep water. He lit a stick of dynamite, tossed it into the lake and up floated hundred of dead fish. The game warden is mortified; this is wrong this is illegal! Boudreaux, he exclaimed, you can’t do this. Boudreaux immediately lit another stick of dynamite, handed it to the game warden and said, you gonna shut up or fish?
As people of faith, are we prepared to shut up and fish? And if fishing it will be, are we prepared to put out into deep water?
Our Gospel story gives us Simon, who has yet to be called Peter, pulling his boat into dock after a very unsuccessful night fishing. Jesus climbs into the boat and teaches the growing crowds who pressed in upon him along the shore. As he finished the teachings Jesus instructs Simon to go fish some more with the words: “put out into deep water”. Simon Peter objects at first but obeys Jesus’ command. And the catch of fish is overwhelming.
Jesus then tells Simon Peter that from now on you will be catching men.
The command, put out into the deep, has meaning for us gathered here today. We need to find deep water, to find our catch. We must not fear the deep water.
What is our spiritual deep water? First, it is a place of uncertainty, challenge, risk, and the unknown. But deep water also refers to opportunity, a place of redemption, a place where loss can be turned into gain. The deep water is a stark contrast to the shoreline, a place of comfort, security, the familiar, the ordinary.
Left to our own will, we prefer the shoreline, we prefer shallow water. But it is Jesus who is calling us to deep water. Where exactly is the deep water in our lives?
For the young among us, the deep water in our lives may be the challenges we face in selecting our educational pursuits or our career. It may be will I get married, who will I marry and when will I marry. And it could mean a call to pursue a vocation to be a Priest, a Deacon or the religious life. Don’t laugh. Even Simon Peter thought that putting out in the deep would be useless. When Jesus is calling the shots, all things are possible.
“Putting out in the deep” forces us to face our own realities about our spiritual journey. Do we risk the journey into deep water or do we play it safe close to shore. Do we want to help Jesus fish for and catch more men and women for Christ? How does this look for us in our own parish here today?
The deep water we are being called to may mean joining a ministry here at St. Jane’s, it may mean joining our Bible study program, it may mean placing a few more dollars in those poor boxes in the back of church. It may even mean seeking out opportunities to serve those at the food bank, Habitat, supporting the prison ministry that I’m blessed to lead and direct here on the Northshore. That deep water may be seeking forgiveness in the Sacrament of reconciliation, making an appointment to talk to a Priest or Deacon about reconciling your marriage, stopping by church to worship Jesus in front of the Tabernacle or coming to Adoration or Benediction or preparing for the upcoming Lenten season with a clean heart.
Putting out into the deep is not easy; it requires courage; it demands our complete and total dependence on Jesus Christ. We have seen this in the recent response to the crisis in Haiti, the recovery of our own region after Katrina, the way we responded here locally last weekend to the benefit dinner for one of our own and yes, dare I say the heroic athletic accomplishments of our New Orleans Saints.
So in the week ahead, put out in deep water. Help, by your example and prayer, to catch men and women for Christ. Get in that deep water; and you don’t even need a stick of dynamite.
Geaux Saints!
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