From The Bishop

In the Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Jesus instructs Peter to “put out into the deep” (Duc in Altum). He and some others have been fishing all night and they have caught nothing; however Peter states, “Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” He trusted in the Lord and was rewarded because “they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break.” St. Peter’s response is interesting because he immediately fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” Jesus tells Peter not to be afraid because he will no longer be catching fish; he will now be “catching people”. Through our baptism, we are all called to help to bring people to Christ. The Lord wants us to “put out into the deep” and to trust Him. Sometimes we allow our fears, sins and limitations to become a barrier. We tell the Lord to “go away from me.” In the First Reading this is certainly the case with the prophet Isaiah who believed he could not do the Lord’s work because he was a man of unclean lips. He trusted and he was cleansed. St. Paul in the Second Reading is also an example of one who initially believed that the he was unworthy because he persecuted Jesus’ followers. Both men trusted in God and were able to do great things. They were not afraid to Duc in Altum. Let us also “put out into the deep” by trusting in the Lord. When we do this incredible things happen.