Has Jesus Caught My Heart?
by: Carlo S. Dureza
Today’s Sunday gospel (Luke 5:1-11) gives us a glimpse of a fisherman’s turf: a picturesque seashore where shallow waves are rolling in and out, fishing boats marooned on the water-drenched sand, spacious containers full of the day’s catch, and burly fishermen engaging in enterprise. Since this is a fisherman’s world, our attention is riveted to him, the one who catches fish!
In the narrative, two instances of “catching” are illustrated: one is when Jesus tells Peter and company to lower their nets deeper for a catch and another, when he says that he will teach the fishermen to be fishers of men. In the first context, Jesus directs the workers to be more productive by having the courage to explore other avenues, others ways of working besides the usual dull routine in order to get more benefits, more gifts of nature. In the second context, Jesus would want to eventually see fishermen fish their own kind – men. For what? To have more people spread the Kingdom like more catchers of the sea’s bountry bringing forth the gift of God’s generosity.
Do we believe in God’s astounding generosity? Have we given Him our full trust by allowing Him to govern our ways of living? He wishes that we be obedient to Him for us to haul big catches of the Kingdom. By nature, we humans are stubborn. We are stiff-necked. We insist on our ways. We follow our deceitful hearts. We do not allow anyone or anything to get in the way of our human desires. Temporal passions like ambition, vengeance, honor, power, and wealth are what our hearts are filled with to catch a bountiful of false happiness. Have we asked ourselves if we have allowed Jesus to rule our lives? Have we allowed Him to catch our hearts?
Jesus, the great fisherman, would like to catch us to be with Him in heaven. He tells us to catch the banquet prepared for us by making us cast our lives deeper into Him that we may discover His abundant glory. Let us believe!
