Miraculous
Draught of FishesReadings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Luke 5:1-11 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word
of God, Jesus 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.
Luke 5:1-11, today's Gospel, in Filipino Sign Language
The painter Raphael 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.
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) - still known and loved in
Chile as 'Padre Hurtado' - and his trust in God's providence in A priest, I bless you - Alberto.
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.
God's providence is something I have experienced many times. One example is when I was asked to write an article for the Columban magazine in the USA, Columban Mission. So I wrote The Miracle Girls! and it was published in October 2012 (pages 17-19) and later in The Far East, the Columban magazine in Australia and New Zealand.
I got the title from one of the girls
at Holy Family Home for Girls, Bacolod City,after the release of kidnapped
Columban Fr Michael Sinnott in the Philippines in 2009. I had asked the girls
to pray for Fr Sinnott's safe release. When I told them that God had heard
their fervent prayers - and fervent they were - one of them came up to me and
said, 'Father, we are the miracle girls!' (They were actually part of an
international 'prayer brigade').
She was expressing something like St
Alberto, a total trust in God's providence.
I was happy when my article was
published but had no idea how many readers would respond with generosity, a
generosity that enables the Capuchin Tertiary Sisters of the Holy Family to
continue to take care of the girls whom God sends their way just as God
continues 70 years after his death to provide for the Hogar de Cristo (Home of Christ) movement that San
Alberto started and that has spread to other countries.
Like many of 'The Miracle Girls' Father
Alberto came from a background of poverty and of violence. But that didn't stop
him from hearing God's call. He wanted to be a lawyer in order to help the
poor. God answered his desire to help the poor of Chile, not as a lawyer but as
a Jesuit priest. God called Peter and his companions to let go of their fears
and of their work: Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching
men.
St Luke tells us directly and simply
how Peter and Andrew, James and John, responded to the words of Jesus: When
they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
They didn't become saints overnight. They failed Jesus many times and Peter even betrayed him. But Jesus never abandoned them and their hope and trust in him never vanished.
St
Peter's words can encourage us when we can't see things clearly, when we are
disheartened, when we've nowhere to turn to: Yet if you say so .
. .
+++
Columban Fr Chris Saenz, now Regional Director of the Columbans in the USA, on two occasions in Chile threw a
chronic alcoholic named Ronnie out of his church because he was
disrupting Mass. In Interview
with Ronnie he allows this man to tell the story of the
extraordinary change in his life and the part Padre Hurtado played in that. And
Ronnie experienced God's providence in being able to attend the canonization of
this remarkable saint in 2005: There was a national lottery for Hogar de Cristo to send 36
persons from around the country. There were seven spots for
volunteers/workers of Hogar de Cristo and 29 for those who, like me, received
aid. Different names were submitted from around the country, including mine and
a few others from the Ninth Region. When the first ticket was drawn at the
lottery my name was on it. I knew than it was Padre Hurtado’s hand again. In
fact, I was the only one from our Region to go.
Isaiah, Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Michelangelo [Wikipedia; photo]
And I heard the
voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8;
First Reading).
Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)
Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 02-06-2022 if necessary).
Epistle: Colossians 3:12-17. Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30.
The kingdom of
heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field (Matthew 13:24).
Dearest Seán,
ReplyDeleteA touching story about a Chilean holy man.
Both of us got married in Chile by a Capuchin friend. https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2010/10/miracle-in-chile-country-where-we-both.html
https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2015/03/25-year-anniversary-of-our-church.html
May we continue to have such holy people, continuing the work of our Lord.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dear Mariette, thank you for your kind comments in recent weeks. Thanks too for the links to your blog.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you and Pieter on the 32nd anniversary of your Church wedding yesterday. May God grant you many more years together.
I'm delighted to know that my latest post had a direct connection to your lives. We are indeed a Communion of Saints (in-the-making for those of us here on earth).