Casting into the Deep

First Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

Brothers and sisters:
Let no one deceive himself.
If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,
let him become a fool, so as to become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,
for it is written:

God catches the wise in their own ruses,

and again:

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas,
or the world or life or death,
or the present or the future:
all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R. (1) To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.

Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

NAB

It was the end of a very long day. Very long. I crawled into bed—alone because my husband was traveling—and whispered a brief aspiration, begging for no new crises in my household. The door creaked. He came in, flopped on the end of the bed like he has since he was a little boy so very long ago, looked up with huge brown eyes, and nearly sunk my ship with his sorrow.

Here we go again, Lord, casting out into deep water. I'm beyond exhausted, my nets are cleaned, and despite my apparent lack of gain, I'm ready to call it a day.

Then, you have more for me to do. You ask me to take you with me out into the deep. I'm uncertain here, parenting these big kids who have so many big challenges. It's uncharted territory and I often find my nets come up empty. I am unworthy and unqualified and unable. Still, You call me here; so I am not unwilling.

It’s all I am, God: Willing.

And so I’ll plump my pillows and meet his eyes with my own and I will give him my attention and the reassurance of my love, because hearing God’s call and trusting Him with the command to push off and go deep is not a one time event—it’s a vocation for a lifetime. Some days I come up empty. Some days I’m bone tired with nothing measurable to show for it. All He asks on the evenings of those days is my promise to get up the next day and do whatever He tells me again.

And I do, with the faith that one day it will not be sorrow that sinks my ship, but abundance.

One day it will not be sorrow that sinks my ship, but abundance. @elizabethfossClick to tweet

Cast back into the deep, sisters. Especially when you think you have nothing to find or give.

Elizabeth Foss is a wife, the mother of nine, and a grandmother. She finds the cacophony of big family imperfection to be the perfect place to learn to walk in the unforced rhythms of grace. You can learn more about her here.