Thursday 4th September

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First Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23

(All things are yours, you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.” So let no one boast of men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future, all are yours; and you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

Gospel: Luke 5:1-11

(After a miraculous catch of fish Jesus calls the fishermen to follow him.

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus” knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

Appreciating good fortune

When the older folk advised that it was well to count our blessings, the advice was well grounded in Holy Scripture. Sometimes our success can be our undoing. More people are hurt by success than they are by failure. Paul in First Corinthians sums up the attitude that will save us from the pitfalls of success: Let there be no boasting and no name dropping like, “I am of Paul or of Apollos or of Cephas.” We ought to be honestly aware of our blessings – for “all these things are yours,” but we also remember: you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.

To know we have been blessed can unleash a generous spirit in us. We have just heard the response of Simon Peter and his friends to their catch of a large number of fish by the power of Jesus, how they were willing to stake all their future on his guiding words. There’s a strong sense of “noblesse oblige” about this story. They were drawn to follow Jesus because he appealed to the best that was within them.

 

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