THE CALL OF EVERY HUMAN PERSON

20150903 THE CALL OF EVERY HUMAN PERSON

Readings at Mass

First reading

Colossians 1:9-14 ©

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.

Psalm

Psalm 97:2-6 ©

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 ©

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.

THE CALL OF EVERY HUMAN PERSON

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Col 1:9-14; Ps 97:2-6; Lk 5:1-11

What is the purpose of life?  What are you living for?  What are you called to do?  These are questions that we must answer before we can embark on anything purposefully.  This is true in the case of someone who wants to build a house.   He must know the end before he can decide on the means to accomplish it.  The design of the house must be conceived before one can begin the construction.  Without a clear picture of the outcome we will end up building something that cannot be used, or poorly constructed house.

Indeed, we must search for our vocation in life above everything else.  Only by living out our vocation, can we find real happiness.  Life is more than just doing well in our studies, finding a good job that pays well and acquiring wealth and status in life.   As Jesus asked us, “What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life?  Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?” (Mt 16:26) Otherwise, like a silly man who builds his house without a plan, we will waste much time studying and working for something that we will not be using.

However, if we are clear of the will of God for us and what we are called to do in life, our lives will be fruitful and passionate.  St Paul wrote, “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.” When we live out the will of God for us, we will find peace in our hearts and good works will flow out from and through us.  Most of all, “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, the strength of doing well will no longer be merely hard work alone or discipline and pure effort, but we will receive a special grace, an inner strength and wisdom to accomplish what we are called to do.  We no longer do it alone but with the wisdom, conviction and love that comes from God.  He will empower us to do well in whatever we do because His Spirit rests in us and works in and through us.

What then is our vocation?  In truth, regardless of whichever vocation we are called to, there is only one vocation which is, as the gospel tells us, to be fishers of man.  Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.”   Indeed, all vocations are for the service of humanity and for the glory of God. We are blessed with talents and resources to bless humanity and the world.  We do not work for ourselves but for others.  This was what Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16:24f)

Only when we serve God and humanity can we find meaning and purpose in life.  If we serve only ourselves, we can never find real happiness.  Even if we indulge ourselves with pleasure and have a good time, the pleasure that we enjoy will just last as long as we are in it.  If we were to enjoy a feast, we enjoy the taste of it.  But once we are satiated or when the feast is over, our pleasure also ends.   However, if I were to give or share our food with someone who is poor, we will derive great satisfaction and an inner joy in us knowing that someone is fed and enjoyed the food.  That joy is doubled and we continue to remain in that joy even when the meal is over.  Such is the joy that comes from serving God and others.  That is why Jesus asked, “What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life?  Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?” (Mt 16:26)

At the end of the day, service to God and humanity means to lead them back to God and help them to live their lives meaningfully like ourselves.  It means to help others find their primary vocation as God’s children and then to live out this vocation in their lives by finding out His will.  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. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout to the Lord, all the earth, ring out your joy.”  When we do good or when we serve other, our ultimate goal is to reveal to them their calling and that God is their salvation.

But vocation stems from our own discovery of our identity and the love and mercy of God.  This is what the gospel is inviting us to do.  Like St Peter, we are called to experience His unconditional love and mercy.  We cannot be fishers of men and women till we have been caught by the love of God.  Without first discovering our own identity as God’s beloved, we cannot live out our lives convincingly as God’s children or be able to bear the crosses that come from sacrificial love joyfully.  St Paul’s strength and calling to be Christ’s apostle came from his own experience of salvation.  He wrote, “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.”  St Peter who had the miraculous catch too, said to the Lord, “’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.”

Have you found the love of God? Have you experienced His mercy for you?   Without this experience, God remains our debtor and so is our fellowmen.  Even when we help others or serve God, we do it with a feeling of smugness and self-sufficiency, not one of gratitude and humility for all that we have received.   However, when we are loved by someone even when we do not deserve it, we will live for that person, just like our friend or our spouse.   When we are loved, it is only natural to do everything to please him or her and share in his or her life.  This explains why after the miracle, the apostles, “Bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.”

So if you have not found your vocation in life yet, then you must take the courage as St Peter did, by putting out to the deep.   We need to take the risk by deepening our relationship with the Lord and strengthen our faith in Him who calls each one of us by name.  This was what the Lord said to Peter, “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.” Even though they were hesitant, St Peter replied, “Master, we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.”  Yes, it is not by our strength alone but by His grace, that we will find what we are seeking for in life.   “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.”  The Lord wants us to experience the power of His love and mercy.  We must be ready to put out into the deep.

How?  We must pray and listen to His Word.  This is what we read in the gospel. “Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Genesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank.”  If Peter could take the leap of faith at the command of the Lord, it was because he had been quietly listening to Him preaching the Word of God.  The Word of God prepared his heart and disposed his mind to obey the Lord.  So too, no one can find His will without serious prayer, listening to the Word of God and discerning with someone mature in faith.  Only Christ can reveal to us the plan of His Father so that we can respond to His call to share in His life and work by catching men for God and revealing the salvation of God for all of humanity.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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