Jesus Calls His First Disciples

September 02, 2021, Thursday
Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time (Green)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 434

Reading I
Col 1:9-14

Brothers and sisters:
From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit
and growing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience,
with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Responsorial Psalm
98:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

R.    (2) The Lord has made known his salvation.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
    in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
    toward the house of Israel.

R.    The Lord has made known his salvation.

All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
    break into song; sing praise.

R.    The Lord has made known his salvation.

Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
    with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.

R.    The Lord has made known his salvation.

Alleluia
Mt 4:19

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Lk 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.

REFLECTION:

‘Do not be afraid’. What do I fear at the moment? Speak to Jesus about these fears.

I ponder on Jesus' response to Peter's confession of himself as a sinner. 'Do not be afraid: from now on you will be catching people'. Peter is given his mission when he realizes his sinfulness: this insight actually makes him a better apostle, for he can understand better those he is sent to, he knows he shares their need for mercy and salvation.

PRAYER:

Lord, you tell me, as you told Simon, to ‘Put out into the deep water’. You are ready to surprise me with the depths I can find in myself, with the work you can do through me. Save me from complacency, from settling for a routine existence. Open me to recognizing your hand in my daily encounters.