FIFTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME
“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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