22ND THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 5:1-11) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” (Lk 5:8)

FIRST READING - Col 1:9-14

"He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son."

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians

⁹ Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding ¹⁰ to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy ^12 [a]giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. ¹³ He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 5:1-11

"They left everything and followed him."

✠From the Gospel according to Luke

¹ While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. ² He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. ³ Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴ After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” ⁵ Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” ⁶ When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. ⁷ They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that they were in danger of sinking. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” ⁹ For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, ¹⁰ and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” ¹¹ When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything^[b] and followed him.

22ND THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 5:1-11)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God today wants to tell all of humanity that the powerful and mighty Word of God will be proclaimed throughout the entire earth.

The Word of God is a powerful Word, possessing the strength to save and always bringing life to mankind; it never brings death, suffering, or darkness. Therefore, the Word of God must be proclaimed and spread across the whole world.

Thus, God calls His apostles to cooperate in His plan of salvation by going out to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, calling everyone to repentance and conversion, and to return to God.

The Word of God today reveals the authority, power, and might of God over all humanity. God knows all things; He fully understands what each person is thinking and what each one needs. He knows that human beings are very weak and limited; they cannot comprehend the thoughts and ways of God's works, so He always accompanies and instructs mankind.

As today’s Gospel recounts, after the disciples had labored all night without catching anything, Jesus said to Simon: 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.' The disciples obeyed and followed His Word, and they caught a great number of fish. The image of the disciples hauling in a large catch after obeying God's command is a lesson for the apostles of today: they must always listen and faithfully carry out the instructions of God; for only by fully obeying God can a person fulfill the duty that God has entrusted to them. No matter how highly educated or knowledgeable a person may be, they still cannot fully understand the paths and ways of God.

Therefore, today's Word of God invites His children to:

• Always listen to and obey God in all things; whatever He instructs, do accordingly.

• Pray for a simple and humble heart in order to always carry out the instructions of God. Do not rely on human reasoning and limited thinking, but wisely receive the teachings of God’s Word.

• Listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to walk on the path of God’s Truth and Righteousness.

• Live in humility and self-abasement before God, for all people are sinful and lowly beings.

• Have absolute trust in the power and might of God. He always accompanies human beings; He sees and knows clearly what people are doing and what they need — come to Him in prayer.

• Be firm in faith and live out that faith before God. He is the God of love, the true God and true man; no one has a love as great as His.

In today’s world, God calls all His children:

• Come and take refuge in His loving heart; He will care for and look after His children just as He cared for His apostles in the past.

• Come to Him, so that He may teach us how to live in a way that pleases Him in today’s world.

Thanks be to God. Amen.