STOP TOILING FOR NOTHING, JUST OBEY THE “WORD”. (Homily for February 7, 2016. Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Year C.)

Bible Study:  Isaiah 6, 1 to 2 and 3 to 8. 1st Corinthians 15, 1 to 11. And Luke 5, 1 to 11.


Somehow, our readings today continue from those of last two Sundays in that they are all related to theme of the power and efficacy of the WORD OF GOD. Two Sundays ago, we had Ezra reading the word of God to the people which made them cry, last Sunday, we saw Jesus explaining the word of God to his people and they reacted violently because the word of God contains certain bitter truths. Today, Jesus proves to us that beneath the bitterness of that word, beneath the senselessness so to say, lies the keys to all that troubles us. If only we can quieten our natural human reasoning and just obey God words as they are, our life would be much easier and richer.

Haven been rejected from his home town and his own country, Jesus moves on. Failure can be very painful at times. There are many of us here who have allowed our dreams die all because our attempts at actualising them were absolute failures. Peter and his team worked all through the night and caught nothing. They did everything necessarily for success, they worked as hard as they could at the best time for the job but despite all their TOILING, they failed woefully.

The following morning, the group of disappointed fishermen are busy calculating their losses and Jesus comes along and borrows one of their boats to preach God’s word. Only for Jesus to finish preaching and issue a command to Peter. It really felt like a joke when Jesus said: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” God’s words often come to us as a joke. At times, it feels as if what God is demanding from us is unreasonable and impossible. For instance, I once met a man who told me that the success of his business is his ability to tell lies. For him, the day he stops telling lies is the day his business will crumble. Can you imagine that? But, aren’t we also guilty?

In fact, the truth is that we never bother to read God’s words at all because we feel it is incapable of putting food on our table. We would rather read five different newspapers despite their tiny letterings but we never have time for the Bible. And when we manage to hear God’s word read to us in Church, we simply amuse ourselves with it. The preaching goes into one ear and comes out of the other and even before we leave the Church, we have already made plans on what we would do completely contrary to the word of God we have just heard.

Of course, fishes do not come out during the day, not even when there are so many people in the shore but that is precisely the time Jesus is giving the command. Of course, people who do business tell lies to succeed, but Jesus is saying: “Be truthful.” When the world gives a recipe for success, we always find God’s word at the other end saying the direct opposite. When the world is facing a sexual revolution, God’s word insists our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. When the world speaks about aiming high and making others worship you, God’s word says, the greatest must be the least. When our society today celebrates stealing and corruption, God’s word is saying: “be content with only that which is rightfully yours.”

It takes trust to even listen to God, not to mention obeying because it doesn’t often make sense. But the choice is ours! Either to trust God and obey or we follow what the world says and continue our toiling! It is either we actually let down our nets for a catch or we fold up our nets and tell Jesus that he doesn’t know what he is saying. Come to think of it, what is the point toiling and toiling for nothing when God has a better option for us? Check out what God says to us in Psalm 127, verses 1 to 2: Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; while he showers gifts on his beloved while they sleep.”

Peter replied Jesus, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Mark these words: AT YOUR WORD I WILL.... Let it become your personal motto. Say to yourself: From this day henceforth, I will do only that which God’s word demand of me; I will obey God before anything else; I will keep his commandments; I will do what he tells me. I bet that like Peter, if only we really obey God’s words, we would be amazed at the outcome. Of course, God loves us and has given us his word out of his love for our good. No one who loves you will give you an instruction that can destroy you. But each time we disobey God, we put his love to question. It is like Peter saying to Jesus: “You are asking me to put my nets into the deep so that people can laugh at me, abi?” Every sin is a testimony of our mistrust. How do you feel when someone you love so much disobeys you?

Last Sunday, our first reading was about how God called of Jeremiah, today we are reading about the call of Isaiah. For each of these two great prophets, there was a sense of unworthiness for the mission. Jeremiah complained about his youthful age, Isaiah complained about having unclean lips and living among people of unclean lips. Even Peter today complained about being a sinner and Paul in our second reading considered himself the smallest of the apostles because he was once a persecutor of the Church. The summary of it all is that God does not call the qualified, rather he qualifies (completes, adds to and betters) the called.

You do not need to be perfect to become a fisher of men but the moment you say “Yes” to the call by obeying the word, God fills you with something extra. An angel touched Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal and granted him absolution of his sins. In the case of Jeremiah, God gave him a courageous heart and he spoke doom fearlessly even in the face of persecution. Paul was empowered by a visit of our Lord as he noted: “Last of all he (Jesus) appeared to me… by the GRACE of God, I am what I am and his grace toward me was not in vain. Peter left fishing and became the First Pope, even to this very day, he continues fishing for men through the church.

This is what obedience to the word does. It makes us do the impossible! A man with unclean lips became the greatest prophet to announce the coming Messiah such that in the life of Jesus, we see a word-for-word fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecies. No amount of toiling would have achieved this. Because Paul agreed to obey God’s word, he who was so unqualified by virtue of his past became the greatest achiever among the apostles as he said in the second reading, “I worked harder than any of them…” So true, more than half of the entire New Testament comes from Paul’s own handwriting.

So much happens when we obey the word. If only we would listen to God today and agree to put down our nets for a catch, we would see that all our toiling in life is useless.

Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, may I obey rather than amuse myself with your word. Even when it does not make sense to me, help me to drop reason and believe. Even when the world says the opposite, help me to listen only to you. Amen.

God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Sunday.


No comments:

Post a Comment