“Put out into the deep and lower your nets for a catch.” Think about it, that’s what the son of a carpenter said to a lifelong fisherman. Peter did it, perhaps just to humor Jesus, or because Jesus had just cured Peter’s mother-in-law. And what happened? They took in the biggest catch of their lives. A fluke? A trick? Or a sign of things to come? Whatever, it overwhelmed Peter. “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man,” we hear Peter exclaim as he falls on his knees before Jesus.
Does anything overwhelm us today? When we can talk face to face with someone across the globe, fly anywhere we wish, and carry phones and watches that put the world at our fingertips, what can really astonish us?
And yet, there are things that can overwhelm us. We’re terrified at the power of nature. We’re all bracing for what this week’s weather will bring. And, despite the great advances in the medical world, we all have to face serious illness and eventual death and this brings us great anxiety and fear. This kind of being overwhelmed is rooted in fear and we all experience it in our lives.
There’s another realm of experiences that awaken an awe that moves us like fear does – but differently. Rudolf Otto, that great early 20th century scholar of comparative religion, defined it so eloquently: mysterium tremendum et fascinans, that is, an awesome, fascinating mystery. This is not a rational experience, but a breathtaking and irresistible awareness of the presence of the beauty, immensity and truth of the divine. I hope you have experienced this in your lives; I know I have. I will never forget the time I was privileged to visit the Sistine Chapel with only one other person. It was after hours but, with the right connections, we had been able to get in. The first image that struck me as the lights were turned on was of the final judgment on the far end of the chapel. Those of you who have been there certainly remember that powerful painting. Although I had been in the Sistine Chapel before, in the midst of great crowds, being there alone, for some reason, put the fear of God in my heart. But then, as I looked up at the ceiling to see that famous image of God’s finger reaching out to touch Adam’s giving him life, I was drawn into the fascinating mystery of God’s love for us and his desire for us to be with him forever. As a faithful prayer, I also experience the fascinating mystery of God almost every day as I begin in silence awakening in myself an awareness that I am in the presence of God. We all are, every moment of our lives. But, this deep awareness of God’s loving presence as I sit in silence before a crucifix gets me through the day with a very reassuring peace; the same kind of peace and resolve that we hear Isaiah has in today’s first reading after his awesome, fascinating experience of God. “Here I am, Lord. Send me!” we hear him exclaim. And, Peter has the same resolve as he leaves his boat and follows Jesus after the miraculous catch of fish.
As we do every Sunday, we gather today around our Lord’s Table and are caught up in the awesome, fascinating mystery of our Lord offering himself to us in his life-giving body and blood and to our heavenly Father as he dies on the cross for our sins. We hear St. Paul remind us about that gospel – that good news – in today’s second reading. Just as these awesome, fascinating experiences captured the attention of the first followers of Jesus, they capture ours today; that’s what brings us here week after week.
These encounters, these fascinating, mystical experiences are given to us to savor. But, they are also given to motivate us, as they did Isaiah and Peter and Paul, to join with all the saints in proclaiming and living the gospel message. This is a message that every generation needs to hear. They will only hear it if we – you and I – proclaim it. We live in a time much like the time of the first followers of Jesus when so many people had forgotten about or turned away from God. We are here because we have experienced the awesome mystery of God. We come together around this altar because we want to turn to God, to praise him, to thank him for his many blessings and to ask him to hear our prayers. But, it can’t end here. At the end of Mass, we are dismissed with “Go and proclaim the Gospel of the Lord.” We don’t necessarily have to leave everything behind, like Peter did, but instead, we can use everyday opportunities to speak of and live out God’s loving care.
And, we must always realize that this work is not our own, but the Lord’s. We may work and work hard on our own and catch nothing. Our efforts, alone, are insufficient. We do not feel fulfilled. But at the command of the Lord, at the Lord’s initiative, with his presence, our work is productive, fruitful, in fact, overflowing and our deepest needs are being fulfilled. In today’s second reading, we hear St. Paul say that he has “toiled harder” than any, but he realizes that it is not his work: “not I,” he admits, “but the grace of God that is with me.”
Jesus will accompany us in our work. Little by little, he will invite us to take the next step toward becoming faithful disciples. With the Lord at our side, our saying “yes” will change our lives. Our efforts will bear fruit. Our “catch” will be overflowing and our lives will be fulfilled in ways we can’t even imagine as we draw others into God’s loving embrace. What a privilege it is to be followers of our Lord. Let us also be faithful, fruitful disciples!