LECTIONARY READINGS
First reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
Responsorial psalm: Ps 137(138):1-5, 7-8
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Gospel: Luke 5:1-11
Link to readings
However unworthy we may feel or believe ourselves to be, God sees beyond this, and is inviting each of us without exception to live a fulfilled life in the flow of his bountiful love. In the Temple, Isaiah experiences a vision of the wonder of God and is overcome with self-doubt and self-criticism. Despite this, he is given a blessing and told his sins are forgiven. His response is immediate: ‘Here I am! Send me!’ (First Reading)
In a similar way, when Simon Peter first meets Jesus (Gospel), he is overcome with a sense of worthlessness and sinfulness in the presence of the unsought bounty of God. Jesus’ response is to gently but firmly tell Simon (and us): ‘Do not be afraid, just follow’. And Simon Peter does.
St Paul, writing to the Corinthians (Second Reading), is all too aware of his shortcomings to proclaim the Gospel, given his past life as a persecutor of Christians. But with God’s grace, he gladly accepts that he is called to follow Christ and preach the Good News. We can easily imagine that Paul and the Apostles prayed this week’s Psalm with joyful thanks, as they experienced the unconditional love of God. Let us join them in praying it with gratitude too.
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year, we pray for the grace to see beyond the limitations that we set upon ourselves. We ask to glimpse the beauty and potential that God sees within us and calls us to share with the world. Let us encourage and support each other to answer God’s call to bring hope-filled justice and peace, wherever it is needed.
PSALM 137 (138)
R./ In the presence of the angels I praise you, O Lord
I thank you Lord, with all my heart;
you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I praise you.
I bow down towards your holy temple.
I give thanks to your name
for your merciful love and faithfulness.
On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased the strength of my soul.
All earth’s kings shall thank you, O Lord,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’
With your right hand you save me;
the Lord will accomplish this for me.
O Lord, your merciful love is eternal;
discard not the work of your hands.
REFLECTION
I invite my mind and body to become still in the presence of the Lord. I slowly read through the psalm and then repeat lines and phrases from it, pausing wherever my heart desires.
Which words, images or feelings in the psalm invite my closer attention? I make these the focus of my prayer. I reflect over the past weeks, months, or longer. For what do I desire to give the Lord heartfelt thanks? Where have I experienced kindness and steadfastness from the Lord? I spend time focusing on the people for whom I am deeply grateful. When I express this gratitude to God, where do I feel it in my body?
Accompanied by angels, I close my prayer with a slow, repeated recitation of the response: ‘I praise you, O Lord . . . I praise you, O Lord . . .’
GOSPEL
Luke 5: 1–11
At that time: The crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the word of God. He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch’. And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’s knees, saying: ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord’. For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish. And Jesus said, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ And when they had brought their boats to land they left everything and followed him.
REFLECTION
Having taken my time to become still before the Lord, I ask him to guide me in my prayer. Then I prayerfully read through the Gospel several times. On each reading, I notice those points within the text that I feel more drawn to. What catches my attention? What is the Lord asking me to see and hear? I wait . . . I listen . . . I wonder . . .
I may use my imagination to enter more deeply into the scene. Perhaps I take the role of a bystander, or one of the fishers in the boats, or maybe even Simon. Can I relate to the initial sense of frustration and disappointment of toiling all day with no result? Have there been times in my life when I have felt physically or emotionally spent . . . or worthless before the Lord, even? At such times, have I been able to place my total trust in the Lord? What happened then?
How do I feel about the response of Simon Peter and the others who left their livelihood behind to follow Jesus? What do I need to let go of in order to follow Jesus? I close my prayer by praying with Jesus, ‘Our Father . . .’