THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-SECOND WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME - Luke 5:1-11 - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.” (Lc 5:11)

READING OF THE DAY

A reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians

1 Cor 3:18-23

Brothers and sisters:

Let no one deceive himself.

If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age,

let him become a fool, so as to become wise.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God,

for it is written:

God catches the wise in their own ruses,

and again:

The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,

Paul or Apollos or Cephas,

or the world or life or death,

or the present or the future:

all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Luke

Lk 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,

he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

He saw two boats there alongside the lake;

the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.

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.

After he had finished speaking, he 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.

They signaled to their partners in the other boat

to come to help them.

They came and filled both boats

so that the boats were in danger of sinking.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,

"Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man."

For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him

and all those with him,

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."

When they brought their boats to the shore,

THURSDAY OF THE TWENTY-SECOND WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME - Luke 5:1-11

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God today wants to tell all humanity that the power and strength of the Word of God will be spread throughout this world.

The Word of God is powerful, a Word that can save and bring life to people; it never brings death, suffering, or darkness. Therefore, the Word of God must be spread throughout the world. God calls His apostles to cooperate in God's work of salvation: to go out and preach the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, calling everyone to repent and return to God.

Today's Word of God shows the authority, power, and strength of God over all humanity. God knows everything. He understands what each person is thinking and what they need. He knows that humans are very weak and limited; they cannot understand God's thoughts and ways of working, so He always accompanies them to teach them.

As today's Gospel recounts, after the disciples toiled all night without catching anything, Jesus told Simon: "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." The disciples listened and followed His instructions and caught a lot of fish. The image of the disciples pulling in a large net of fish when they obeyed God is a lesson for today's apostles: they must always know how to listen and carry out God's commands; because only when they completely obey God, can people fulfill the duties that God has given them. No matter how well-educated and knowledgeable people are, they still cannot fully understand God's ways. Therefore, the Word of God today invites His children:

- Ask for a simple, small heart to always listen, obey God in all things, and follow God's teachings, do as He teaches.

- Do not rely on human reason and limited thinking, but wisely accept the teachings of God. Listen to the spirit of the Holy Spirit to guide you and walk on the path of Truth and the Truth of God.

- Live humbly and humble yourself before God, because all people are sinners and lowly before Him.

- Have absolute trust in the power and strength of God. He always accompanies people. He sees and knows clearly what people are doing and what they need. Run to Him and pray.

- Be confident and live your faith before God: He is the God of love, the true God, and the true man. No one has greater love than He.

In today's world, God calls all His children to run and to

take refuge in His loving heart. He will care for His children as He cared for His apostles in the past. Run to God the Father, so that He can teach you how to live to please Him.

Thanks be to God. Amen.