THE LIFE-GIVING CATCH

V/ My eyes are turned to you, O Lord.

R/ You are the joy and gladness of my youth.

V/ Grant me the Wisdom that sits by your throne.

R/ That I may dwell as a child in your presence.

Let us pray. Lord, in your loving design, you have drawn me here to encounter you in your Word and, in you, to find myself. Empower me by your Wisdom, that this meditation may be a font of transformation and freedom, bearing fruit for my salvation and that of the whole Church. Amen

THE LIFE-GIVING CATCH

By Fr Clement Obiorah, OCD

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) – Sunday of the Word of God

Isaiah 8:23-9:3; Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23

On this Sunday of the Word of God, we recognise that Scripture is the primary “net” the Church uses, cast into the deep sea of the world to gather us in. In antiquity, the sea was often viewed as a place of chaos and danger. When Jesus says, “I will make you fishers of men,” we must acknowledge the paradox. Fishing usually implies consumption and death for the fish. If applied to evangelisation, this metaphor might seem absurd. However, in the Kingdom of God, the physics of life are reversed.

Spiritually, the “sea” can represent the darkness of a fallen world, in sin, isolation, and spiritual death. To remain submerged is to drown. Therefore, Jesus calls Peter, Andrew, James, and John not to capture victims, but to rescue the drowning. The net becomes a lifeline, not a trap. Being “caught” by Christ means being drawn from suffocating depths into the open air of grace.

The readings from Isaiah and Matthew set the scene. Jesus begins His ministry in “Galilee of the nations” – lands historically overrun, places of confusion and “deep shadow.” Here, the “Great Light” dawns. Jesus does not wait for humanity to reach perfection. He enters our daily lives, finding the disciples amidst their ordinary work.

This echoes the wisdom of Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection, who taught that we can converse lovingly with God “at every moment, without rule or measure,” even during ordinary work. Jesus offers friendship right there in the boat. This is the hook: an invitation to something higher. As St. Teresa of Avila reminds us, prayer is “an intimate sharing between friends,” taking time to be with the One “who we know loves us”.

Once “fished” out of the darkness, our role transforms. We become the crew. However, a crew cannot function if fighting within the boat. St. Paul’s plea to the Corinthians highlights that divisions are like tears in a fishing net. A torn net lets the catch slip back into darkness.

To be fishers of men, we must be agents of reconciliation. In a polarised world, Christians are called to mitigate divisions. Jesus calls us to “make up the differences,” realising Christ cannot be parcelled out. St. Thérèse of Lisieux understood that love binds the Church; she realised that “if Love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel”. To mend the nets is to return to that love.

Finally, we recognise Scripture as the primary “net”. The Carmelite Rule of St. Albert places this at the centre, commanding us to stay in our cells, the interior cell of the heart, “pondering the Lord’s law day and night”.

Today, let us give thanks for the moment the Lord “caught” us. Being drawn out of the world’s waters is not the end of freedom, but the beginning of life. Let us drop the nets of ambition and divisiveness to join Christ in reconciling the world to the Father.