Mass & Directions

Sunday February 10th : 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Francis Parish | February 9, 2019, 12:36 pm | Reflections

In the readings for this fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear from the Prophet Isaiah, Saint Paul and then from the Gospel of Luke with a focus on Jesus’ encounter with Simon Peter. In all three of these Scripture readings is an example of an admitted sinner who eventually does extraordinary works in God’s name. Another great detail we can take from each reading is that not one of them performed their great works alone.

In a discussion among men this week on these readings, the youngest in the group imagined with all of today’s technology and advancements, how many fish would a fisherman need to catch to be amazed to the point that Simon Peter was. This is a very interesting point. Imagine those living in the time of Jesus. Think about the conditions and the poverty that existed. Is it possible that because of the disparity to our lives, their desire to reach heaven was far greater than it may be for us today? Could the great improvement in living conditions be a detriment to our own desire? Could our comforts develop a love of this life that is so great that we are less inclined to think of the next?

2000 years later it may be very difficult for us to relate to the people and conditions in the time of Jesus. Whether we can identify with any of the three characters in today’s readings or not, we are also being called and with God’s Grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we too are capable of doing tremendous works in God’s Name. The question is, how do we respond? Do we cast our nets as Simon Peter did, or as in Isaiah 6:8 when God is saying “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” will we respond saying, “Here I am…Send Me!”?

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