![]() ![]() We could begin a call story today with a similar phrase. The future seemed confused and uncertain. When King Uzziah died, many were worried that their peace and prosperity would die with him. Under his reign Judah experienced peace and prosperity for fifty-two years. It begins with a statement that speaks volumes: “In the year King Uzziah died.” Why is this significant? Uzziah was one of the very few ‘good kings’ in the history of Israel. There is a greater lesson on discouragement in the first reading, the powerful call story of Isaiah (Is 6:1-8). God came to Isaiah in the midst of his discouragement Yet too often we are so focused on the dark cloud, we don’t see the sun just beyond the haze. God comes to us in our times of discouragement. In the midst of Simon Peter’s discouragement, Jesus came to him. The third takeaway is sometimes overlooked. Yet Simon Peter, after sharing with Jesus his pessimism on the outcome of casting out one more time, says, “But at your command, we will lower the nets.” Too often we’re too discouraged to allow God to direct us toward an unlikely or even an impossible outcome. Too often we say, “I know how to drive my own truck!” Jesus doesn’t have any business in my ‘business’. At times, we choose to sulk alone in our own discouragement. It means we need to stop being discouraged and instead be open to the abundance that comes from God. Letting Jesus come into your ‘boat’ is sometimes not that easy. What transformed their discouragement into astonishment? There are three takeaways.įirst, they let Jesus come into the boat. He then tells them they are to not just catch an abundance of fish, but an abundance of souls. Once the disciples follow the instructions of Jesus, they catch an abundance of fish. “Go into the deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Again, it would be like him telling a truck driver how to drive his truck, an accountant how to balance her books, or a teacher how to teach his class. He begins to tell these fishermen how to fish. ![]() Then, once in the boat, he does something even more outlandish. Or sitting at the teacher’s desk in your classroom. It would be like Jesus entering the cab of a truck driver. This is Simon Peter’s place of employment. If you think about this, it is a little presumptuous. Jesus came and got into Simon Peter’s boat. They had fished all night and caught nothing. In the gospel, the disciples on Lake Gennesaret had every reason to be discouraged. Jesus came to Simon Peter in his discouragement And finding some much-needed encouragement. So as I get ready to preach this 5th Sunday, I’m looking at the assigned scripture through the lens of ‘discouragement’. The world is filled with confusion, uncertainty, and division. My mantra during the whole month echoed the words of Saint Therese of Lisieux: Don’t get discouraged! Anyone who is doing any kind of hiring realizes that finding good replacements is difficult. I also thought I had a complete staff, but a few have left. January, however, my time was instead filled with taking care of cancellations, prompted by the new Omicron surge. I was looking forward to taking care of our many guests and retreatants. As the director of a retreat center, I entered the New Year thinking I had all of the weekends filled with retreats. Lately, I’ve been trying not to get discouraged. Homily for the 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time ![]()
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