A Homily for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

+ “Duc in altum.” Set out into deep waters, the Lord commanded Simon Peter. We have tried already, and it didn’t work, protested Simon Peter in return. But he obeyed, and as a result the catch was so great that he needed help to haul it in.
 
A command, a protestation of impossibility, eventual acceptance and obedience and then a result beyond any expectation: there is an important lesson for us all here. It is a lesson taught by Saint Benedict in the sixty-eighth chapter of his Rule:
 
“If it happen that something hard or impossible be laid upon any brother, let him receive the command of his superior with all docility and obedience. But if he see that the weight of the burden altogether exceeds the measure of his strength, let him explain the reasons of his incapacity to his superior calmly and in due season, without pride, obstinacy or contradiction. If after his representations the superior still persist in his decision and command, let the subject know that this is expedient for him, and let him obey out of love, trusting in the assistance of God.”
 
God’s call doesn’t listen to our excuses and protestations; He sees that which we can become if only we allow Him to direct our actions and our path. We can live our lives in shallow waters of our own self-perception, or we can set out into the deep in loving obedience, trusting in the assistance of God, and become part of something so utterly of God’s doing – and not of ours, at least initially – that it humbles us and takes our breath away.
 
Indeed, Simon Peter was so humbled by this miraculous catch of fish that he protested his unworthiness and asked Our Lord to depart from him. Our Lord’s response is instructive – in both what He says, and in what He does not say.
 
He did not say, “Yes, you are quite right, you are a sinner, I will leave you behind. You are an expendable casualty of your own behaviour.” Nor did he say, “Your sins don’t matter – you’re only human after all.” Our Lord does not accept our excuses, nor does he pretend that we are anything other than we in fact are. He knows our unworthiness better than ourselves.
 
Rather, seeing the humility and repentance of Simon Peter, Our Lord called him beyond his sin to a life of particular service and indeed of apostolic responsibility that he could never have foreseen. And Our Lord chose well: the rough fisherman witnessed to Christ even to the shedding of his blood as a martyr.
 
Whether we are at the beginning, middle or nearing the end of our Christian discipleship on this earth, the command Duc in altum pertains. Do I hesitate to take the necessary steps in testing my vocation? Do I fear what I may lose by so doing? Is there a significant aspect of my life that must be corrected in the light of the Gospel and the teaching of the Church? Do I worry about the implications of rectifying it? Am I anxious about what suffering and illness may be ahead as I grow older? “How can I do these seemingly impossible things?”, I continue to ask.
 
Duc in altum Our Lord responds.
 
Let us put our protests aside. Let us accept His command and obey out of love. Let us trust in the assistance of God. For if we but take this step in faith, He will reward us and bless us in abundance. But He cannot if we will not. It is up to us.
 
Duc in altum. +

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