Luke 5:1-11

Introductory Prayer:
Lord, thank you for revealing your tender, merciful, Sacred Heart to us. Your Heart gives me the confidence to turn back to you as many times as I fall. I know that I hurt you the most when I neglect to trust in your infinite love for me. And so now in this meditation, good and kind Jesus, I intend to rest in your love.

Petition:
Lord, give me faith so I can be a docile instrument in your great work of saving souls.

1. Jesus Sees Our Hearts:
In today's Gospel we see Our Lord presented as a wonderful teacher of souls. First, Christ is a teacher to the multitude whose hearts were opened to his teaching by his marvelous miracles. He is also more subtly presented as a teacher to Saint Peter, whom he would later choose to lead his Church. His first lesson to Peter, besides the one Peter hears Jesus preach from his boat, is the very personal message of his worth in Christ's eyes. Jesus provides a miracle just for Peter not to heal him of some infirmity, but to demonstrate Christ's overflowing love for him. He speaks loudly through his action of the miraculous catch. Whether through want or abundance, health or infirmity, am I able to discern Our Lord's lessons for me in my life? Am I open to his lessons of love?

2. From the Depths of Our Faith:
Our Lord implemented a deeper lesson plan with Peter in order to prepare him for his great mission of being the first pope. Peter would need to move to a more supernatural level if Christ were to entrust him with the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Testing his generosity, Christ commandeered Peter's boat in order to teach the crowds gathered at the shore. Then Jesus led Peter to make an act of faith: he asked him to set out into the deep and drop his nets at a time when it didn't appear opportune to fish. If Peter were to answer the supernatural call to be a fisher of men, he would have to depend on Our Lord's working of miracles. Only by the grace of Christ is God able to redeem what humanly seems unsalvageable.

3. A Lesson of Mercy:
Mercy is God's divine method of teaching: by showing mercy to sinners, Christ teaches us important lessons. Peter's intentions are discovered and revealed in his confession at the shore. Peter confesses his lack of faith despite his "obedience" to Our Lord's command to cast out into the deep. Our Lord taught Peter a great lesson when he blessed Peter's feeble and meager faith with a contrastingly abundant catch of fish. Does my faith in God show in my actions? Am I willing to respond generously in the work of the New Evangelization?

Conversation with Christ:
Lord, help me with the grace of your mercy to accept 
what seems unfeasible in human terms. Help me to
accept your call for me to work in establishing a civilization
of love in today's world. Help me Lord, to be always faithful
to your friendship, sincere in my faith, and diligent in
service to you and my neighbors in need.

Resolution:
Today I will pray and make a sacrifice to Our Lord so that he sends generous and holy vocations to the Church, especially where she needs them the most.