20250904 DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIS OWN GLORIOUS POWER
04 September 2025, Thursday, 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Colossians 1:9-14 |
God has taken us out of the power of darkness
Ever since the day we heard about you, we have never failed to pray for you, and what we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will. So you will be able to lead the kind of life which the Lord expects of you, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects; showing the results in all the good actions you do and increasing your knowledge of God. You will have in you the strength, based on his own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear anything joyfully, thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.
Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 97(98):2-6 |
The Lord has made known his salvation.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
has shown his justice to the nations.
He has remembered his truth and love
for the house of Israel.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth,
ring out your joy.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing psalms to the Lord with the harp
with the sound of music.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
acclaim the King, the Lord.
The Lord has made known his salvation.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Thess2:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Through the Good News God called us
to share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt4:19 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Follow me, says the Lord,
and I will make you into fishers of men.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 5:1-11 |
They left everything and followed him
Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little 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 deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.
When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.
DO ALL THINGS THROUGH HIS OWN GLORIOUS POWER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Col 1:9-14; Ps 98:2-6; Lk 5:1-11]
Many of us are like St Peter in the Gospel. We too say to the Lord, “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing.” Indeed, this is how many of us feel. We work so hard to get our academic degrees, succeed in our projects, and advance in our careers, yet at the end of the day, we often find it all meaningless. What is the use of working so hard only to realize that we have toiled in vain? As the book of Ecclesiastes says, “All is vanity.” Indeed, we once thought that having everything – power, glory, honour and wealth – would make us happy. But as it turns out, these are all illusions. They did not bring true happiness or fulfilment. No wonder they are called idols, for they amount to nothing.
Some of us, however, truly work for God and His people. We invest much of our time in the service of the Church, in helping our community, and in caring for the poor and those in need. We do all this on top of our work and family responsibilities. Yet, despite the energy, time, and resources poured into such efforts, we often meet with opposition, failure, disappointment, and frustration.
In such situations, we are called to turn to the Lord. The cause of our failures and disillusionment is that we rely too much on our own wisdom and strength. St Paul reminded the Christians, “You will have in you the strength, based on his own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear anything joyfully.” Indeed, we cannot rely on ourselves to achieve the true and lasting goals in life. Without Christ, we are bound to fail, and even when we succeed in worldly terms, our achievements will ultimately feel meaninglessness.
What, then, does it mean to rely on the glorious power of God?
The first precondition for turning to the Lord is the sense of inadequacy and helplessness. As long as we depend on ourselves, the Lord will not intervene. Only in our desperation will He act in our lives, so that we may recognize Him as Lord. Otherwise, how could we proclaim: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out your joy.” This was the case with St Peter. At first, he depended on his own skills and experience. He was so sure of himself that he hesitated to let down the nets. After all, as a professional fisherman, the last thing he needed was fishing advice from a carpenter. But the Lord wanted to surprise him so that he could witness the power and wisdom of God.
Once this condition is met, we must respond with faith. Faith is shown in obedience, for obedience is the expression of faith. When Jesus told Peter, “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch,” Peter obeyed. Faith, therefore, is the key to drawing strength from the Lord. Faith in Christ enables us to do all things. It was Peter’s faith that enabled him to surrender to the Lord’s command. Against all doubt, he said, “But if you say so, I will pay out the nets.”
Secondly, we need to have love. We can only trust in God’s power if we have experienced His love. This too was Peter’s experience. After the miraculous catch, he was overwhelmed by his sinfulness and by God’s mercy. He must have felt embarrassed, for the Lord had exposed his pride, self-confidence, and lack of faith. Yet despite Peter’s doubts and reluctance, the Lord showed him mercy.
Similarly, St Paul told the Christians the same thing. “Because that is what he has done: he has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.” The consciousness of what He has done for us – liberating us from bondage, and enlightening us in our blindness – is itself is a source of great joy. Only when we realize how much God has loved us and shown us mercy can we truly trust in His love for us.
Thirdly, to rely on God’s glorious power is to have a certain hope of our calling in life. St Paul wrote, “You will have in you the strength, based on his own glorious power, never to give in, but to bear anything joyfully, thanking the Father who has made it possible for you to join the saints and with them to inherit the light.” Indeed, when we recognize our true calling in life, we will realize that it goes far beyond making a living, amassing wealth and power, or even living only for ourselves and our loved ones. When we come to realize that we are called to live for God and one day to be united with Christ and all the saints, sharing in His eternal light, this great hope will give us impetus to endure our struggles and make sacrifices with joy. We can give all of ourselves because we know that the hope we have for ourselves and humanity will not be in vain. As the psalmist says, “The Lord has made known his salvation; has shown his justice to the nations. He has remembered his truth and love for the house of Israel.”
Consequently, we need to strengthen our faith, hope and love in God if we are to find strength in whatever we do. We need to work for the right motives and for the right goals in life. This calls for prayerful discernment in whatever we do. It is for this reason that we need to pray as St Paul wrote, “Ever since the day we heard about you, we have never failed to pray for you, and what we ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the fullest knowledge of his will.”
We need to seek perfect wisdom and understanding of His will for us. Without knowing His will, we may accomplish much but still find no peace or joy. Seeking His will allows us to give ourselves wholeheartedly to what He calls us to do. Many remain unhappy because they ignore or resist God’s call and fail to follow the vocation He has given them. But when we discern His will and embrace it wholeheartedly, we discover true happiness. This was the experience of Peter, James, and John. When Jesus told them, “”Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch,” they left everything and followed Him.” This was the second level of obedience. Having first obeyed in faith by casting the nets, and then experienced His overwhelming mercy, Peter was ready to give up his career, wealth, and security to follow Christ. By allowing the Lord to work through them, they became great apostles.
But where do we find His will, if not in the Word of God? If Peter and his companions could eventually respond in faith to Jesus in paying down the nets and then following Him, it was because they had been listening to Jesus as He preached. Likewise, we who seek His will and His wisdom must turn to Scripture. Through prayerful meditation, the Lord directs our steps. Without it, we would only listen to ourselves. Conviction of our calling and of His will requires us to spend time in prayer and meditation on the Scriptures. In the Word of God, we find strength, wisdom, inspiration and light. St Paul wrote to young Bishop Timothy, “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16f)
Let us continue to seek the Lord for His guidance and His will. This was what the Lord said to the Israelites in exile through the prophet Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have in mind for you – it is the Lord who speaks – plans for peace, not disaster, reserving a future full of hope for you. Then when you call to me, and come to plead with me, I will listen to you. When you seek me you shall find me, when you seek me with all your heart; I will let you find me – it is the Lord who speaks.” (Jer 29:11-13)
Seek the Lord, rely on His strength, pray for His wisdom, know His will and act according to it. This is what it means to act from His own glorious power because we are one with the Lord in mind, heart and soul. St Paul says, in this way, “you will be able to lead the kind of life which the Lord expects of you, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects; showing the results in all the good actions you do and increasing your knowledge of God.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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