Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,)
Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Luke 5:1-11 (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
At that time: The crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear the
word of God. He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by
the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a
little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And
when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep and let
down your nets for a catch.’ And Simon answered, ‘Master, we toiled all night
and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.’ And when they had
done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking.
They signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And
they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon
Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a
sinful man, O Lord.’ For he and all who were with him were astonished at the
catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of
Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be
afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’ And when they had brought their
boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
The painter Raphael in his Miraculous Draught of Fishes above captures something of the awe of St Peter when he saw how much fish he and his companions had caught, despite their misgivings as experienced fishermen in following the advice of someone they knew to be a carpenter from the mountains of Galilee. St Peter, who had a long way to go in his formation as a follower of Jesus, recognised the utter generosity of God's providence.
The late Columban Fr John Griffin, a New Zealander who worked for many years both in the Philippines and Chile, tells a story about St Alberto Hurtado SJ (1901 - 1952) and his trust in God's providence in A priest, I bless you - Alberto.
Fr Griffin wrote: Fr Hurtado though now canonised, is still known in Chile as Padré Hurtado - just as we still call St Pius of Pietrelcina 'Padre Pio' and St Teresa of Kolkata 'Mother Teresa' - is best known and remembered throughout Chile for his ‘Hogar de Cristo’ (Christ’s Home) Foundation. The seed for this was sown late one night when he was on his way home to San Ignacio. He met a man who was in poor health, had eaten nothing all day and had nowhere to go.
This was the priest’s first encounter with such poverty and it moved him greatly. He did what he could for the man and then asked: ‘What are our Catholics doing for those who have no roof over their heads?’ He began asking this question during his retreats and so was born the idea of ‘Hogar de Cristo’. He formed a board of directors from people eager to help – six men and 30 women. Land was available alongside the Jesuit parish of Jesus the Worker and the first night-shelters were built and an appeal for funds began. By 1945 there were five shelters that had been able to house 12,000 poor men.
Now it was time to do something for the numerous ‘street kids’ who spent their nights under the many bridges over the Mapocho River which runs for miles through Santiago. These youngsters needed educations as well as shelter and land was donated for this purpose a few miles to the north of the city near Colina railway station and a children’s home was built.
It was immediately obvious that such youngsters needed some sort of a trade to make their future secure, so different workshops were built. Fr Hurtado was confronted by another question: ‘How many such homes and workshops are needed up and down Chile to tackle the problem of child vagrancy?’ Something, he said, that should be of concern to all Chileans.
Fr Griffins article continued with a story that for me resembles the experience of St Peter and his companions and their trust in Jesus:
Providence was always on his side. At a meeting one night his board of directors was unwilling, for lack of funds, to approve a new project. In the midst of discussions there was an unexpected call for Fr Hurtado to attend to someone at his front door. He had a brief conversation with the caller who said she wanted to leave a gift to help the great work he was doing.
He gratefully put her envelope in his pocket, wished her a good evening and returned to his meeting. He looked at the contents of the envelope as he sat down. Then he tossed a check onto the table saying, ‘There you are, ye of little faith!’ It was for one million pesos – worth about US$30,000 at that time. I'm sure he spoke to his board with a smile on his face.
He founded El Hogar de Cristo for the most needy and the homeless, offering them a family atmosphere full of human warmth. In his priestly ministry he was distinguished for his simplicity and availability towards others, being a living image of the Teacher, 'meek and humble of heart'. In his last days, amid the strong pains caused by illness, he still had the strength to repeat: 'I am content, Lord', thus expressing the joy with which he always lived.
Traditional Latin Mass
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 02-09-2025 if necessary).
Epistle: Colossians 3:12-17. Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30.
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