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 | Deacon’s Digest
Going deep
Today’s Gospel reading is one of the most challenging in Scripture when read properly. Peter, James, John and their companions spend the whole night trying to catch fish and come up empty. They were expert fishermen and had to be frustrated with their bad luck. Just then, Jesus shows up and tells them they need to try again, but this time they need to go out into the deep water. To men who spent their lives fishing this had to be the worst advice they had ever been given. Everyone knew that the fish were in the shallow waters along the shoreline. They had to wonder what this carpenter / preacher could possibly know about their business. In the end they trusted Jesus and did what He asked of them. In doing so, they achieved the results they had sought all night long. In other words, what they tried to do for hours without Jesus quickly turned to success when they listened to Him.
In my own life, I’ve received some “advice” from God that I didn’t think was very good. As I prayed, He revealed that I should look into the deaconate. I thought He was crazy until friends, family and a priest all affirmed that call. For me, this was tantamount to “putting out into the deep water” of my faith life. I was quite content wading in the shallow and safe areas. Going deep meant giving up a lot of control and putting all of my trust in Jesus. It also meant that, as long as I am faithful in my efforts, Jesus - not me - is responsible for the results.
The late John Paul II made this verse from Luke’s Gospel a motto for his papacy. He often exhorted bishops, priests, and lay people with the cry “ducan altum” which means “put out into the deep”!
What about you? Where is Jesus calling you to put more trust in Him? It might be in your family life, your finances, your ministry, your marriage, your career or your education. Even if you’ve been a good Catholic all your life, there are probably still areas of your life that you haven’t trusted to Jesus. We all like to think that we’re in charge so giving up control can be a scary proposition, but as we see in Scripture; it is a good way to bring blessing to your efforts. You may not fill your nets (or your bank account) but the great thing about leaving the results up to Jesus is that is doesn’t matter. Giving Him the control means letting Him decide what success is and what it is not.
Take His advice today. Put out into the “deep water” of life and “lower your nets for a catch”. This may mean that you pray more, spend your free time differently (not so much TV and internet), treat your spouse and children with a little more love and respect, become even more generous with your money, and maybe even choose a ministry that challenges you and makes you step outside your comfort zone. It takes trust and courage but you can be assured that acts of faith like that are always honored by our Heavenly Father.
| | | | Written By Deacon John Devlin |
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| | 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 Mark 7:1-13 |
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 | | "Their heart is far from Me."--Mark 7:6 |
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