So what can we do to make Jesus’ image of “fishing for people” work in a way that is positive for our spiritual life? We can start by noting that fishing in first century Palestine was different than fishing is today. Peter and Andrew did not fish with a hook and a pole. As the gospel clearly says that they used nets which they threw into the sea. Once we include the net as part of the fishing image, its significance changes. It is no longer hooking an individual. It is now gathering things together. This idea of gathering is the usual way fishing is used in the Bible. Jeremiah talks about God as a fisherman who gathers the exiles from Babylon and returns them to their own country. In another place in the gospels, Jesus describes a net thrown into the sea, and all who are gathered by it enter the kingdom of God. So, when we understand the image of fishing in terms of the net, it becomes an invitation towards unity, a call to gather a community, an opportunity to build a church that will witness to the gospel.

This is certainly what is in Paul’s mind when he writes to the Corinthians in today’s second reading. He says, “I urge you my brothers and sisters that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind, and in the same purpose.” Paul wants the Corinthians to see that unity is essential for Christ’s disciples. He insists that those who would follow Christ cannot be divided from one another. This is an important message for us because we live in a world that is so polarized that it is easy to become accepting and comfortable with divisions. “I’m not going to talk to him because he hurt my sister. I will not listen to her because she lied to me. I cannot socialize with that person because he does not accept climate change. I cannot interact with her because she is campaigning for Elizabeth Warren.” We use one issue after the other to divide ourselves from each other. We end up living in small, partisan cliques in which everyone thinks the same way.

At once, immediately, they left their nets and followed him…

It didn’t work that way with me!

When people ask me when I decided to become a priest
the most honest answer I can give is,
“About six years after I was ordained.”
I was ordained in 1973.
I truly decided to become a priest around 1979.
Those six years were very interesting years!
(That’s a story I may share at another time…)

I’ve heard married people say the same kind of thing,
that the real decision to be married
came some years after they stood at the altar.

While I truly believe that God calls each of us to many things,
the word “call” might sometimes be too strong
to describe how God does that.

I heard no voice, I had no vision,
I experienced nothing mystical.
Not so much a call,
what I experienced was a nudge, a prompting,
an intuition, a suggestion that becoming a priest
might be what I was meant to do with my life.
Actually, it was more like a hunch,
a “holy hunch,” if you like,
but a hunch nonetheless.
So, I followed my hunch,
hoping that God was behind it and,
to the best of my ability,
I believe that indeed, I’m doing with my life
what God has asked of me.

The kingdom of God is a gathering of the faithful people of God initiated through baptism into a new life in Christ. It is a kingdom of non-violence. Through baptism, Jesus Christ nips in the bud the very stock responsible for evil in the world, namely human violence. Jesus Christ understands that our earthly crisis is caused by our uncontrolled violent nature. The grace of baptism enables the Christian to control this violent nature. The kingdom of God creates an enabling environment for non-violence.  The humble beginning of the Kingdom of God on earth saw his appointment of men of humble background as the pioneer members. With these men he called apostles, he will go about the whole of whole of Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness among the people.

The kingdom of God teaches us two important lessons. First, human violence is responsible for crisis in the world. Secondly, the solution to any crisis must begin with the self.  This is why he tells the people: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’ Blaming others in moments of crisis will only add to the crisis. Human violence is an inferno that consumes anything in its way. Violence is a vicious circle that is broken through non-participation. In the second reading, St. Paul identified the destructive impact of the various slogans that the people have, like: ‘I am for Paul’, ‘I am for Apollos’, ‘I am for Cephas’, ‘I am for Christ.’ Then he asks: Has Christ been parcelled out? Was it Paul that was crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul? The kingdom of God teaches non-violence through repentance and renunciation of the will to violence.

I want to begin by telling you about a little girl, most likely 12, possibly 13 years old. She took on a mighty empire and won. The little girl was named Agnes. At least that is the name she is remembered by. Agnes means lamb. She was like a little lamb. Agnes was a child of a noble family in ancient Rome, and lived around the year 300 AD. She was a Christian in the last decades of Rome’s persecution of the Christians. At that time, more and more members of the empire were becoming Christian including the noble families and even members of the royal household. The Emperor Diocletian decided to put an end to these Christians once and f or all with one of the worst of all the persecutions of Christianity. Anyone caught being a Christian would lose all their possessions and be given the option of renouncing Christ or being put to death.

Although a little girl, Agnes was not about to give up Jesus Christ. To complicate matters further, Agnes had caught the eye of the son of the Prefect, Sempronius. The prefect agreed that when Agnes grew up she would make a fine wife for his son. So he called Agnes to his court and offered her gifts if she would give up Christ and marry his son. Agnes refused saying that she was a Christian and would not marry a pagan. For this, she was condemned to death, but Roman law said that a virgin could not be killed. Sempronius thought he could solve this dilemma by forcing Agnes to work in a place of sin. She was taken there in a public display of Roman terror and pagan lust. When the horrible parade got to the place, the perverts were lined up, waiting for her. But somehow, through God, Agnes was protected from the brutes. She continued to refuse to give up Jesus Christ; so the Romans ignored their own laws and killed her.

In the first reading we hear Isaiah’s prophecy that the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light and upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shown. St. Matthew uses this same verse in his Gospel, which we hear today, to make the point that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy. He is, as St John says, the light that came into the darkness and the darkness was not able to overcome it.

I find Matthew’s adjustment of the prophecy rather intriguing where he changes the “land of gloom” into the “land overshadowed by death.” The areas of Zebulun and and Naphtali had been repeated plundered over the years by the various armies marching through the area. The area between the eastern point of Mount Carmel and the western side of Nazareth is known as the plain of Megiddo. This was an ancient battlefield and also the area known as Armageddon. The area was located fairly centrally between Assyria to the North and Egypt to the south, so it made for a convenient place for opposing armies to do battle. For this reason there was a lot of gloom and a lot of death associated with the area.

In his First Letter St. John refers to Jesus as the light of life. In the midst of despair and death, our Lord brings light and life. This is critical in a time like our own where we live in a country and in a world where putting innocent people to death has become the norm. With well over a billion surgical abortions throughout the world, even more contraceptive abortions, a growing euthanasia movement and the massive numbers of martyrs, death and gloom are all that some generations of people have known.

The darkness seems to be a scary place. Whether we like to admit a true fear or not, there are things that are scary about the dark: we can’t see where we are going, and we can’t identify hazards that might be surrounding us. Darkness feels empty. But the truth is that just because we can’t see what’s in a dark place, it doesn’t mean that there is nothing there. Darkness does not necessarily mean absence, and it certainly does not mean the absence of God. In fact, Saint John of the Cross would tell us that God is more certainly present in the darkness of our experiences, to the point that he could even call it “holy darkness”, “holy night.”  Darkness is a part of life, a backdrop for the stars at night, the space between what you know. Darkness has a way of reminding you of the light you’ve been given on all those other days. You have to know the darkness before you can truly appreciate the light. Isn’t it true that it is often on the darkest nights, that we can see the brightest stars?

But there is also a darkness that comes with defeat, failure, oppression, isolation and sin. It is a darkness that is no friend to the light. In fact, it is the darkness that tries to exclude all light. And here, more than ever, we long for the liberation of the light.

How comforting, then, that in our scripture readings today, God’s only begotten Son, our Saviour, is described as that great light in the darkness. Matthew’s account of the beginning of Jesus’ preaching proclaims that a new age has dawned when the light of salvation is manifest to the whole world. Our Lord is the light that came to illuminate the way for those who couldn’t see where they were going. That’s us. We were all living in the darkness of sin, unable to see our way out, unable to find the path to eternal life, unable to even see the dangers that are all around us. We were not just living in physical darkness and ignorance, but we were living in the land of the shadow of death.

Jesus does not start his ministry in Jerusalem the sacred place neither does he choose his followers among respected and highly educated people like Pharisees, doctors of the law, priests or scribes. He goes to those who are despised; the derided Galileans who live in the shadows of pagan contamination. Jesus places himself on border lines between good and evil, chosen people and pagans; he goes to illuminate those border lines with his light. That’s what he continues to do among us even today.

Don’t waste your time looking for a map. You don’t need it. The Galilee of gentiles is certainly in me, probably in you too. I realise that there are times when I’m an admirable person and do others good. That’s light in me. However, there are other times too when you wouldn’t like to be cross to me especially those moments when what  I say or do is drawn from the reservoir of my shadows. Yes, crossroads are present in me where a Christian and a pagan, light and darkness meet in the same person. A pagan is not someone in some far flung area where Jesus is not heard yet; he’s in me for there are some dark corners in me yet to welcome the light of Christ. Happily, the story doesn’t end there.

The Good news is that Jesus does not join the proud ones who scorn the impure. He’s rather interested in bringing them the light of liberation. That’s why he goes further to choose his followers among the disreputable Galileans. He will make them shine and then send them to bring his light to others. It’s good news that we ought to receive not only with joy but also with great humility.

Light reveals something hidden in the dark. It is very important since it provides energy not only for animals but also for plants. Light provides physical energy for the development of all life, including human life. With Christ, light brings spiritual direction giving us a proper orientation to God. Jesus Christ brings a message that brings light to the darkness of any heart. It is the Good News about the truth of God’s love capable of overcoming any obstacle no matter how dark. On many occasions the Bible uses darkness to refer to all that is opposed to God.

We can understand this when John insists that God is the light and in Him there is no darkness. “We heard his message, from him, and announce it to you: God is light and there is no darkness in Him. If we say we are in fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie, instead of being in truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we are in fellowship with one another; and the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, purifies us from all sin”. (1John 1:5-7) One can interpret this literally as, “God is light! This means that He is the illuminator.” In other words, the creator is also a “generator”. This can be deduced in Genesis when God says, “Let there be light!” In God there is no darkness. We are assured of God’s supremacy over sin and its insidious corrupting nature.

Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” He gives light to the blind who cry out to him. He is the light of the world. He sheds light upon the darkness of sin. He gives humans the opportunity to escape from the dark grip of sin to the light of God’s love.

The First Reading from the Prophet Isaiah foretells that the light of Christ; the light of love, has come into the world. The Son of God walked this earth and a great light shone out. It is the light that led the first disciples to leave all and follow Him. We live in this light, love and meaning. The Good News which Jesus peached is akin to a great light which comes to deliver those who dwell in the land of Darkness.

Yes, brothers and sisters, Christ is the light. He has not been parcelled out. The real light for us is recognising that the other person is made in the image and likeness of God. Christ’s light should bring love and unity instead of division.

In the Second Reading, Paul laments over those who have not experienced Christ in this way. He laments because some are far from this experience. We must follow Christ our love, our light and our God. The light of Christ is like a magnet which draws everyone. This light drew young fishermen to abandon their nets and become His followers. . Jesus is calling us to be the light of the World, to leave sin and to love God. It is time for us to say resolutely, “Light of Christ, light our way, light our way as we go”.

I hope you won’t consider me a name dropper, but in 1999 I did meet Manila’s Cardinal Jaime Sin. He cordially received a group of thirty priests, sisters and lay people who were visiting his country as part of the Asian Pastoral Experience. For an hour he spoke to us, telling anecdotes about his years as Primate of the Philippine Islands. What we most wanted to hear about was the “Rosary Revolution” of 1986 which effected a dramatic change of government in that country.

It was a most remarkable event – and the man at the very center was the Cardinal. Not that he organized the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos, but the people looked to him for spiritual guidance. Knowing that the situation was explosive, Cardinal Sin did something counter-intuitive. He went into his private chapel and spent two hours before Jesus in the Sacrament. To some this seemed like a retreat, but when he emerged he knew what to do. What followed astounded the world. Carrying nothing more than rosaries and blessed images, young people, sisters, housewives, priests and many other citizens confronted armed soldiers and tanks. The tanks stopped and young girls walked among the soldiers offering flowers and asking them to defect. Many did, leaving the military bowed. Except for one accidental death, the revolution was bloodless.

Cardinal Sin described how that day the people passed from fear into jubilation, from gloom into bright hope. As Isaiah expresses it: “upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.” (9:1)

Of course, no change of circumstances here on earth ever achieves all that people hope for. But some events give us a glimpse of the future which the Bible describes, the future which God has prepared for his people. It may not be something as dramatic as a political revolution. The birth of a child, the completion of difficult project, the union of two hearts – such happenings open possibilities which seem limitless.

The call the disciples received in our Gospel today to leave their boats and fishing is remarkable (Matt 4:12-23). We are not all called in a similar fashion but I would like to see our Gospel today as a reminder to us to make room for God in our lives, to work for his kingdom. Even though you don’t give up your livelihoods, you are called to be disciples. I have heard some people say that they spent the first half of their lives building up their careers and it was only during the second half of their lives that they made room for God. I will never forget when someone shared with me that they had wasted their life until they attended my Scripture course. There is more to life than career; God also needs time in our lives. I heard of one priest saying that he had spent ten years after his ordination building up his own kingdom and then he began to work to build up God’s kingdom. The call in today’s Gospel to leave the boat and the fishing is a reminder to make room for God every day, to build up God’s kingdom instead of building up our own kingdom. When we do, we are the better for it. Then the prophecy in our first reading and Gospel is fulfilled in our lives also:

The people that lived in darkness
Has seen a great light;
On those who dwell in the land and shadow of death
A light has dawned. (Isa 9:1)

When we leave the boat and the fishing every day to make room for God, to build up his kingdom in whatever way we do it, then those who live in darkness see a great light, and light dawns on us. That reminds me of a true story I have previously told you.

On the subject of our mission to embrace the light and to share it with others, Paul wrote: ‘It is the God who said “Let light shine out of darkness”, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God on the face of Jesus’(2Corinthians 4:6). The face of Jesus radiated love, and so revealed who God really is. We are graced to do the same. Left to ourselves we cannot do it, but the prayer of today’s Mass reads: ‘O God, the love you offer always exceeds the furthest expression of our human longing’. What an extraordinarily beautiful statement! Our human longing for love and light and freedom is immense. We are being assured that the love God offers us is even greater. The prayer goes on to ask God: ‘direct each thought and each effort so that our limits will not obscure God’s glory’. We have limits, but God wants to fill our souls with his light and he wants it to radiate out to others. Our limits do not have to get in the road. God can even use them to reveal the mystery of his love. I love the mantra prayed by the Hindu yogi, Yogananda, as he was dying. He had a devotion to Jesus and referring to his body as a temple he prayed to Jesus: ‘In this your temple, with your own hand, light the lamp of your love. Turn my darkness into light. Turn my darkness into light.’ Let us open our hearts to receive Jesus in communion and ask him to turn any darkness inside us into his light.

Unfortunately, the content from the Saint Louis University website is momentarily paused as the Catholic Studies Center works to find a new webmaster. Please be patient.

Pope Francis recently declared that this Sunday should be dedicated to the celebration of the Word of God and the prominence Sacred Scripture enjoys as a source of revelation to us as a People of God. You see, we would know nothing about God unless God spoke to us. The activity of God speaking to us is what we mean by Divine Revelation. In fact, the Second Vatican Council Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, speaks of Sacred Scripture and sacred tradition as flowing from the same font that is Divine Revelation. The insight here is that, yes the Word of God is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit. However, that inspiration does not happen in a vacuum. That inspiration happens through a living, breathing community that existed at the time the texts were written and lived by each generation to the present day. Sacred Scripture should therefore be understood as a living Word not a dead one. When we read Sacred Scripture we encounter the living God who has entered into a relationship with his Chosen People, not just myself as an individual. I am not an island in the midst of humanity. The relationship God is seeking through Sacred Scripture is with his Chosen People in which we are adopted into through the waters of Baptism. This is why the lived tradition and Sacred Scripture are understood as flowing from the same font that is Divine Revelation.

“There will be no gloom for those who were in anguish,” Isaiah prophesies in this Sunday’s First Reading. In the past, God had “brought into contempt” the land of Zebulun and Naphtali, but now, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

According to the Gospel Reading, this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus withdrew to Capernaum, “in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali.” Isaiah’s “light” was the light of Christ.

There should be no divisions among those who have been enlightened by Christ, St. Paul says. He was sent to “proclaim the Gospel,” but “not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.”

Reliance on human wisdom brings disagreement and empties Christ’s cross of its power. “The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.”

Now, 2,000 years after Christ, where do we look for his light? What do we substitute for human wisdom?

Ever since Adam and Eve’s original fall, humans have walked in darkness, blindfolded to spiritual truths. We find it difficult to perceive Christ’s light. Consequently, Christ left us something we can see: namely the Church.