Sunday 9 February 2025 – V Sunday of the Ordinary Time (C)
Mass Readings:
Is 6:1-2. 3-8 Sal 138 1 Cor 15:1-11 Lk 5:1-11
Key Verse to Meditate:
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go
away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man" (Lk 5:8).
My
dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
The Liturgy of the Word of God on this Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time presents three profound visions, beautifully interwoven around the central theme of sinners encountering the Holy God:
1. The prophet Isaiah’s vision of God’s glory and majesty in the Jerusalem Temple (First Reading).
2. St. Paul’s vision of the risen, glorified Christ (Second Reading).
3. Simon Peter’s vision of God’s holiness and grace in
Jesus Christ at the Lake of Gennesaret (Gospel Reading).
Prophet Isaiah and Simon
Peter experience what is known as a "redirectional shift" as a result
of their encounter with the holy God—Isaiah at the temple and Peter at the Lake
of Gennesaret. At the heart of discipleship is the encounter with Jesus, often
initiated by Jesus himself, an encounter that is life-changing. This encounter
then, often concludes with a person leaving everything behind and recognizing
that his or her life must be different now. In other terms, the encounter with
Jesus that leads to discipleship implies “losing one’s old life and finding new
life in the family of God.” This
encounter also means that one’s life is re-orientated from the many things,
desires, and wishes that one had preceding the encounter with Jesus to Jesus
himself.
While
this is certainly present throughout the Gospel account, it is emblematic in
the calling of Peter in Lk 5:1-11. Indeed, in Lk 5:1-3, Jesus initiates the
encounter by going on the boat owned by Simon. After he finished talking to the
crowd, rather than leaving the boat, Jesus turns to Simon and tells him to go
out to fish even though it is clear that they had just come in from it (Lk
5:4). The begrudging acceptance to obey brings about a series of events that
begins with the miracle to Simon’s leaving everything to follow Jesus.
This
encounter on the boat at the seashore, then, initiates a life-changing
experience which completely redirects the course of Simon’s life on a very
different trajectory than it was on - from fishing fish to fishing men.
First Reading: Isaiah’s Vision of God in the Temple
The First reading from the chapter six of Isaiah presents Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple (Is 6:1-4). Isaiah’s temple vision establishes the holiness of YHWH, in contrast to Isaiah’s own impurity. The holiness of God was so great that, not only the prophet, but even the seraphim considered themselves as unworthy to stand in the mighty presence of the Lord so much that they had to hide their face and cover their feet with their wings. With the seraphim crying out the Lord’s holiness - not just once, but thrice – their exultation goes to establish that Yahweh’s kingship entails holiness. The “thrice-holy” of Is 6:3 is also found in the book of Revelation in the New Testament (Rev 4:8). The triple form or “Trisagion” in Is 6:3 points to the Lord being “holy” or “exceedingly holy.” In this divine vision, after having witnessed not only the kingly nature but also the divine nature of YHWH, Isaiah was overcome with fear and trembling.
The Imagery of the Live Coal: In the initiation of the process of purification, one of the seraphim touched the mouth of Isaiah with the live coal taken from the alter and pronounced him clean: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (Is 6:7). The imagery of the live coal, taken from the altar and carried by the seraph with the tongs from the altar and directly touching Isaiah’s lips, manifests the act of purification or the transformation of Isaiah from being a man with unclean lips. This act of purifying the lips makes Isaiah morally upright, and his lips can now represent the heart and mind to proclaim YHWH as holy. This assurance to Isaiah is similar to the assurance that Jesus gave to Simon Peter after his confession of his sinfulness (Lk 5:10b).
In both episodes, the personal sins of the prophet or Simon Peter are not made explicit. Also, we do not find an explicit purification of Simon Peter in the Gospel by Jesus, either of washing or pronouncing forgiveness to Peter. But we realise that this pronouncement of forgiveness takes place for Simon Peter in the form of a commission. But in Isaiah, he is given absolution of his sins (6:7) and also given an assurance with a commission to preach the Word of God.
Sin Separates Us from the Holy God: The prophet Isaiah realized that it was the sin that separated him from the Holy God. He became aware of his sinful situation of being unclean and living among sinners. Yes, God’s holiness threatens every sinner. But when the prophet Isaiah confessed himself to possess unclean lips and of having defiled himself by living amidst people with unclean lips (Isa 6:5), the divine seraph purified him. So the central message that we derive from this vision of God in the temple is that sinners, when they acknowledge their sins, are never abandoned by the holy God.
The
second reading, from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians,
emphasizes the Resurrection of Christ as a fundamental tenet of the Gospel.
Paul affirms, with unwavering faith, that the central focus of his preaching
has been the historical reality of Christ’s resurrection, in accordance with
the Scriptures.
Luke,
in his two-volume work, is particularly keen on highlighting the connection
between events as they unfold and their fulfilment of scriptural prophecies
(cf. Lk 22:37; 24:25-27, 44-46; Acts 2:25-27; 3:35; 13:34; 17:3), affirming
that everything takes place according to God’s divine plan. Similarly, Paul
declares that Christ died for our sins, in fulfilment of the Scriptures (cf. 2
Cor 5:14; Gal 3:13). This underscores the profound link between Christ’s
sacrifice on the cross and the forgiveness of humanity’s sins (cf. Is 53:4-12;
Mt 1:21).
Just
as in the Gospel, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the heart of his
preaching is the Resurrection of Christ. He assures them that he has faithfully
transmitted what he himself received—both from Christ (cf. Gal 1:12) and from
the apostles. He then lists the official witnesses to Christ’s resurrection,
beginning with Peter, the foremost of the apostles (cf. Mt 28:16), and
concluding with himself, ‘the least’ among them (cf. 1 Cor 15:5-8).
Interestingly,
aside from John (Jn 1:42), St. Paul is the only New Testament writer to use the
Aramaic name ‘Kephas’ for Peter (cf. 1 Cor 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Gal 2:9),
while in other instances, he simply refers to him as ‘Peter’ (cf. Gal 1:18;
2:7-8, 11, 14). In 1 Corinthians 15:9-11, Paul affirms his own status as an
apostle and emphasizes the complete unity of the apostles in proclaiming the
doctrine of the Resurrection. They encountered the Risen Lord, believed in Him,
and bore witness to this truth through their preaching—ultimately surrendering
their lives in testimony to their faith. The doctrine of the Resurrection is so
central to Christianity that St. Paul declares, ‘If Christ has not been raised,
then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is also in vain’ (1 Cor 15:14).
This powerful statement underscores the Resurrection as the very foundation of
Christian faith and hope.
The
Gospel Reading: The call of the First Disciples
The
calling of the first disciples in Lk 5:1-11 given in today’s gospel, represents
an important step in the project of gathering the disciples around Jesus. We
can find the parallels in Mt 4:18-22 and Mk 1:16-20. In the gospel of Mark and
Matthew, the call narrative is of two pairs of disciples, namely Simon and his
brother Andrew, and James son of Zebedee and his brother John. Instead in the
gospel of Luke, only Simon Peter is highlighted, and the other disciples
participate in the call of Peter: Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be
afraid; from now on you will be catching people." Thus we see that the
other disciples participate in the call of Peter. Departing from the apostolic
commission in Lk 5:10b, he begins to present his admiration and love for the
great apostle in the positive light, by stressing his prominence among the
apostles and his great role as a leader in the beginnings of the Church.
Apart from the specific details we can say that this passage concentrates on three important Themes: 1. The centrality of the Word of God. 2. The centrality of Christ.
1. The Centrality of the Word of God.
The theme of “the word of God” is very special to
this passage. People press on in to hear the word of God. And Jesus was
preaching the word of God to them. And in V. 5, Peter says, ‘at your words’ I
will let down the nets. It shows the obedience of Peter to Jesus and to His
Words (God’s Word).
We read in Lk 5:1 that, ‘while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God’ (Lk 5:1). The Scripture also affirms that faith comes through hearing the word of God (1 Cor 15:11). “The word of God” is a comprehensive designation of the Christian message applied both to Jesus’ preaching and to Christian evangelism in Acts. It is God’s message which is spoken by Jesus. It is God’s word that the people are longing to hear. Therefore, sitting down like the Jewish Rabbi or a teacher, Jesus teaches the crowd from the boat of Peter (v.3). Unlike Mark, in Luke hearing the word of God precedes the performance of the miracle. It is in this preaching of God’s word that Paul takes pride as we saw in the second reading of today.
According to Your Word
The narrative of this miracle is unique to Luke and is not found in Mark or Matthew. However, we notice a strong resemblance between the miracle story in Luke 5:4-8 and the one in John 21:1-11. When Jesus tells Peter to “put out into the deep” (Duc in altum), Peter responds, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets” (Lk 5:5). Peter recognized the power of Jesus’ word—how it commanded evil spirits, healed the sick, and performed miracles. And so, with trust, he declares, “At your word, I will let down the nets” (Lk 5:5).
Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see that immediate obedience to God's word brings His favor and blessings. When God commanded Abraham to leave his homeland for an unknown land, he obeyed, saying, “At your word, I go” (Gen 12:4). Noah built the ark despite the ridicule of unbelievers, saying, “At your word, I build” (Gen 6:22; Heb 11:7). Though hesitant due to his speech impediment, Moses stood up to Pharaoh, saying, “At your word, I act” (Ex 7:10; 8:1ff; 9:1ff; 11:10). Joshua, leading Israel’s army, marched around Jericho in obedience to God's word, saying, “At your word, I go” (Josh 6:1-27). David, a young shepherd, fearlessly confronted the Philistine giant, trusting that Yahweh would fight for him as He had promised (1 Sam 17:44-47).
In the New Testament, we see similar acts of faith. Joseph took Mary as his wife at the word of the Lord (Mt 1:24). The Virgin Mary accepted her divine calling, saying, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). However, we also recall moments of disobedience-Moses, for his lack of trust in God's word, was denied entry into the Promised Land (Num 20:8, 11-12). Zechariah doubted the angel’s message and was rendered mute until John the Baptist’s birth (Lk 1:20). Yet Jesus Himself was always obedient to the Father’s will (Mt 26:39; Jn 5:30; 6:38; 12:49; Phil 2:8).
In this passage, the phrase, “at your word,” points to the intrinsic authority of Jesus’ words. This is the mission to which Peter and the disciples are called, as noted in the second reading. It is also the mission given to the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading, where the angel touches his lips and sanctifies him to proclaim God's word: Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin is atoned for." (Is 6:6-7)
2. The Centrality of Christ: Secondly, this passage (Lk 5:1-11) also dwells on the theme of the ‘centrality of Christ’. In V.5 Peter calls Jesus as ‘Master’ in the sense of a teacher or a preacher. The Greek phrase, ἐπιστάτα, meaning “master,” is a Lukan word (Lk 8:24, 45; 9:33, 49; 17:13). He often prefers it to the other synoptists’ use of διδάσκαλε (teacher) or ραββί. But after the miracle of seeing the great catch, Peter confesses and begs Jesus to leave him, since he is a sinful man: But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Lk 5:8). For Luke διδάσκαλε is an objective description of Jesus while ἐπιστάτα involves a more personal recognition of Jesus’ authority and it is mostly used by the disciples (cf. Lk 5:5; 8:24, 45; 9:33, 49; 17:13). The transition from ἐπιστάτα (v.5) to κύριος (v.8) signals the transformation of the fisherman Peter into a loving disciple of Jesus but above all stresses the centrality of Christ as the Lord of everything.
3. The Motif of Discipleship: The motif of discipleship is one of the key theological implications of Luke 5:1-11. Unlike in Matthew and Mark, Simon is not explicitly called here, but his calling is implied in Jesus' assurance to him: "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people" (Lk 5:10b). As a sign of their radical commitment to following Jesus, as we read in Luke 5:11, the other disciples, along with Peter, left everything and followed Him. Since miracles form the foundation of discipleship in Luke’s Gospel, Peter, after witnessing Jesus’ preaching and the miraculous catch from his boat, decisively follows Him: "When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him" (Lk 5:11).
Points for Personal Reflection
In the miracle of the great catch of fish, we see Luke presenting to our eyes a wonderful picture that is full of theological significance. At the great catch of fish, Peter falls down at the knees of Jesus and confesses Jesus as the “Lord”, begging him to leave his presence. The Lukan perspective of this image tells us that the person at whose knees Peter falls is the Lord (κύριος) who alone is holy. So, in the confession of Simon Peter what is to be noted is not only what Peter said but what is not said and what Luke is trying to say. Luke is trying to say that the person in front of Simon Peter is the same holy God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush in the wilderness, to Isaiah in the temple, and to Ezekiel by the river Chebar. Jesus is the same holy God of the Old Testament.
Acknowledging the holiness of God implies acknowledging ones’ sinfulness and vice-versa. This is what Peter expressed in his confession. Only when Isaiah acknowledged his uncleanness, it became clear, too, that he had acknowledged the holiness of God. When the self-revelation of the holy God took place, Moses became terribly afraid and he hid his face, which again, at one and the same time, is the sign of the acknowledgement of one’s sinfulness and the holiness of God. Acknowledging oneself as a sinner before God, makes one a true disciple of Jesus in holiness.
As a result of witnessing God’s holiness, another element that we want to stress is that God’s holiness has the purification effect of destroying sin and consecrating the individual for a specific task. The purification effect of God’s holiness, besides purifying Moses, the prophet Isaiah, and Simon Peter from the effects of their sinfulness, made whole their existence and healed their wounded humanity. But after being purified by God, both prophet Isaih and Simon Peter began to discover the real purpose of life and what life was meant for them, namely, to live and work for God alone.
Questions for Personal Reflection
Do I place my hope and faith in the Word of God and in Christ alone, and in
nothing else?
Am I available for the Word of God?
Do I recognize the Lord’s presence with me and the power of His Word in my
life?
How do I grow in faith? Do I realize that it is by listening to God’s Word
with trust, submission, and obedience?
Peter realized the power of the Word of God when Jesus said, "Follow
me, and I will make you fishers of men."
………………….
