February 9, 2025 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Readings for Today: First Reading:Isaiah 6:1-2a.3-8 Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 1-11 Gospel: Luke 5:1- 11
The readings today are about the call to discipleship. In the first reading, we see the call of Isaiah. As Isaiah said, “The Lord asked, And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
But there is something about Isaiah’s call and his response. God showed a majestic vision of His glorious heavenly throne to Isaiah and immediately he recognized his unworthiness to have such a vision.
For this, Isaiah exclaimed, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
However, an angel of the Lord touched his mouth, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.”
There are many important lessons we learn from this reading but a very striking one is that God does not choose those who are qualified but qualifies those he chooses.
Isaiah discovered that he was a gossiper and lived among gossipers but the Lord sanctified him, forgave him his sins and called him to a great prophetic work.
The gospel also shows the call of Peter as an apostle transformed by Christ from being a fisherman into “fishers of men.”
Peter, when called by Jesus to be a “fisher of men,” like Isaiah, felt unworthy. And yet God chose him for his mission.
Just like Isaiah, Jesus used a great sign to attract Peter and make him understand the importance of the mission he was calling him to embrace.
What sign did he show to Peter? Jesus said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. Luke 5:4–6
This was a great sign. Today’s Gospel takes place during this initial excitement over our Lord for doing so much miracles. In it, Jesus personally invites Peter to become an Apostle, promising to make him a fisher of men.
Looking at Peter’s story today, there is much symbolism in this passage that shows the call of Peter that is worth pondering.
First, we can see that Jesus uses something very familiar to Peter to invite Him to become one of the Twelve Apostles. He used his trade of fishing.
This is similar to the way God used a star to draw the Magi, who were astrologers, to Bethlehem. Jesus uses what is familiar to us to speak to us. We must attentive to what happens around us especially in our area of work and family.
Another symbolic action Jesus uses is that of putting out “into deep water.” It was not enough to simply go a short distance from shore. Instead, the deep water was to symbolize the fact that the Gospel was to go forth to the ends of the earth, just as the fishermen were to fish in the depths of the sea.
Finally, the fact that they “caught a great number of fish” symbolizes the superabundance that would come forth through Peter’s apostolic ministry.
A very important lesson to learn from Peter is his obedience to the will and command of Jesus.
Peter had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. Peter teaches us is that he does not give in to discouragement. And the reason he doesn’t give in to discouragement is because it was Jesus Who commanded him to lower the nets.
This is a very important for us to learn from Peter.
Our faith in Jesus will always vindicate us.
In our own lives, we can all get discouraged at times. But the real test of our fidelity to God is whether or not we continue to listen to His commands of love and respond generously, dispelling any temptations to discouragement when things do not seem to be going our way. If we can do this, it is especially in these moments that God often uses us in powerful ways.
It important to remember always that We are called by God to be prophets like Isaiah and “fishers of men” like Peter.
Have we forgotten that God will purify us and will do wonderful things through us?
We pray for the grace to listen to the voice of God who calls us to serve him as his disciples. We pray for the sanctifying grace of God in our lives.
May Almighty God bless us and protect us from all evil through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Have a wonderful Sunday and don’t forget to attend mass today.
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Rev. Fr. Ambrose Onyeka Anene SDB, is the Parish Priest of Church of the Archangels, Gaduwa, Abuja.
