FIFTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR
‘Push out into the deep water’
It is said that when the early Irish monks set
out to preach the Gospel in new territories,
they never used sails on their boats. They
trusted that the Holy Spirit would guide
them to wherever they were meant to go.
In other words, they took risks for the faith,
and the fruits of their labours speak for
themselves. They must have been inspired
by the words of Jesus in today’s Gospel when
He instructs His disciples to cast their nets
into ‘deep water’. It was a hard call. Here
was the son of a carpenter instructing expert
fishermen on how to fish, but they obeyed
and they were rewarded with an abundant
catch. His call goes out anew to every
generation. We, like those early disciples,
must go to unlikely places; reach out to
unlikely people; persevere in unpromising
situations; sing His song on alien soil. The
rest is in His hands. With great risk often
comes great rewards. As legendary American
Football coach Vince Lombardi once said:
‘The man on top of the mountain did not
fall there’.
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