Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

5th Sunday In Ordinary Time (February 8, 2004)

Suggested Emphasis

"Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man."

Salesian Perspective

We have every reason to believe that Peter was a very good fisherman. He would know how, when and where to catch fish. He would know all the good spots. He would know when to stick with a place; he would know when to move on to another. Perhaps most importantly, Peter would know that even the most successful fisherman sometimes comes home empty-handed.

Enter Jesus: a new face; a new name. While apparently a great teacher and healer, he was the last person from whom Peter would expect to receive fishing advice. Can anyone fault Peter for his initial skepticism?

Still, he relented. For whatever reason - an intuition about Jesus' power, a desire to show Jesus up - Peter and his colleagues returned to the deep water of the lake. And as we know, his reluctant second effort was rewarded with a catch far beyond his expectations.

This sudden and mysterious turn of events prompts Peter to consider his own sinfulness. In particular, perhaps his belief - understandably so - that he knew far more about fishing than Jesus; perhaps his hope of embarrassing Jesus; perhaps his own pride or bullheadedness; perhaps his resentment that Jesus had, in fact, been right after all.

Seems that Peter wasn't so perfect after all.

And yet, it is precisely this imperfect person (along with so many others) whom Jesus called to learn about, experience and share his love. Why?

St. Francis de Sales hits the nail on the head: Although he was subject to so many imperfections, St. Peter was chosen because, notwithstanding his defects, he was always filled with enough courage to take a second look at a situation. Peter had the courage to listen - however reluctantly - to Jesus' advice. Peter had the courage - after all, he would have appeared foolish to his colleagues - to follow Jesus' advice. Peter had the courage to confront his own arrogance. Ultimately, Peter had the courage to consider that sometimes God's wisdom flies in the face of human experience, opinions and expectations.

We, like Peter, are imperfect people. We, too, have our share of defects and shortcomings. Yet, Jesus calls us, as in the case of Peter, as we are, to be his disciples. Take heart: have the courage to name your gifts; have the courage to name your sinfulness; have the courage to learn from your successes; have the courage to learn from your failures.

Most importantly, have the courage to follow God's invitation no matter where, when or how it leads you.

Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is Executive Director of the
De Sales Spirituality Center in Washington, DC