DAILY HOMILIES #catch of fish

Trust God. He will not instruct you unless He knows you will benefit from that act of obedience. Even if you don’t trust God, just obey; your miracle doesn’t depend on your trust; it depends on your obedience. After the great fish catch, Peter knelt before Jesus, saying: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” Do you know how many great and wonderful miracles you have missed just because you followed worldly wisdom?

The last line of today’ First Reading states: “Then they left the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name.” (Acts 5:41) The early Christian Church understood completely that following Christ meant denying themselves and taking up their crosses daily. (Cf. Mat. 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). They succeeded largely because their love for God was not predicated on material prosperity but on the hope of eternal glory. They were willing to store treasures in heaven where moths and rust could not consume them and thieves could not break in and steal. (Cf. Matt 6:19)

We cannot claim to love God if we are not willing to suffer even a single insult on behalf of God. We cannot claim to love God if we are not willing to abandon our dreams of becoming rich and wealthy in life to answer our calling. Of course, not all of us have been called by God to become ministers like Peter and the other apostles but each of us has been called to love God with all our minds, our hearts, and our strength.

We remember St. Patrick today, a man who like Peter fully explored his spiritual potential making such a huge catch of souls in Ireland.