Thursday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 5: 1-11
“Put Out into the Deep”

The Sea of Galilee, also called the Lake of Gennesaret, was the place where Jesus began a new chapter in his mission. No longer confined to the synagogue, he went to the lakeside, to the roads, to the places where ordinary people worked and struggled. His pulpit became a boat, his listeners the crowds hungry for the Word of God.

It was there that the tired fishermen, who had laboured all night and caught nothing, encountered Jesus. He asked them to go back out, to let down their nets again. And there, against all odds, came the great catch of fish.

This story reveals the conditions for every miracle. First, the eyes that truly see. Jesus noticed what others overlooked. Where people saw only empty waters, he perceived abundance. Faith sharpens our sight, helping us discover God’s presence where despair tells us nothing is possible.

Second, the willingness to try again. How many of us stop just one step short of grace because we are weary, discouraged, or afraid of failure? Peter obeyed, even when it seemed pointless. And in that obedience, the nets were filled.

Third, the courage to act when circumstances seem hopeless. Faith is not waiting for the perfect conditions. Faith means trusting the word of Jesus even when everything tells us it won’t work.

Peter’s first reaction was humility: “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But Jesus does not leave; he calls. “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”

The miracle of the catch is really the miracle of vocation. Jesus calls each of us to trust, to follow, and to discover that with him, even empty nets can overflow with life.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025