By Ajit Kumar Takiri csc –
Readings: 1Cor 3:18-23; Lk 5:1-11
When a fishing net is dropped into the sea, some fish get in, some escape and others try to get out from the trap but fail. Today’s readings give us the message that God is the fisherman, Christ, his son is the net and we all are like the fish. Normally, a fisherman catches the fish to kill and eat. God as a fisherman puts his net (Jesus) in this earth not to catch but to give us a life for eternity. Through this net (Jesus), he made us his beloved sons, and daughters. Jesus is the real net of God through which he tries to get hold of all of us to give us a life. An interesting attitude of this fisherman (God) is that he never forces anyone to get into this net.
It is our duty to get into this net to have a life in eternity. Fishes enjoy their lives in the sea but when they come out, they face death. In our context, we die by facing different kinds of problems in our lives. Though we are alive physically, spiritually, we may be dead. When we accept Jesus as our life-giving net, we gain back our lives.
Most of us may not recognize this net. Some of us who recognize it, may go away from this because of pride and indifference. Those who do not get into this net find no meaning in their lives and feel empty within. If Christ is absent in our lives, we can never expect to find meaning in our lives. When St. Peter did not take Jesus as his Lord, he found nothing in the sea, not even one fish. But when he humbled himself and allowed Christ to intervene, he realized that Jesus is the real Lord.
Today we are called to accept God’s net and get entangled in it to become a life-giving net to others. If we want to help others, first we need to allow ourselves to be embraced by the Lord. In the modern times, it is not always necessary to reach people through preaching, but through our actions. Let us accept Jesus and become a life-giving net to others.