Jesus Christ rose from the dead….It does not get any more “impossible then that”….And a man who rose from the dead can do all things…So can we if we learn to trust him

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St Luke how Jesus friends went fishing…They did not catch anything and they worked hard all night…Jesus, who was not a fisherman asks them to do something that a man in the fishing profession would not do….Remember Jesus was a carpenter by trade not a fisherman…Peter could have given Jesus a lecture as to why what he was asking of him “did not make sense”…But that is not what he did…."Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man”…….Peter out of obedience did what was asked of him…Even as it did not seem practical or make any sense at the time…And as a result, he caught more fish then he ever thought possible….This parable stands out for me personally and I reflect on it often…Living life as a practicing Catholic in the world today in many ways and to many people “will not make sense”…However, we must trust in the one who asks us to live “differently”…Jesus promised Peter that he would catch fish if he “did it his way”….Jesus asks the same from us…And the outcome of our obedience to God and his Church will result in the same outcome as it did for St Peter

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men”

The day I was married I remember thinking how can my wife I be fully open to life and “make it” in this world…We were not rich people…How can we have a big family?…..Both of us were committed Catholics and fully intended to not use contraception in our marriage and never have…How will we do it I thought right before the Mass that joined us as husband and wife…Well, eleven and a half years later and five children later…Here we are….God provided!….I have learned to trust God more then I trust myself - That may sound crazy to some but that is how I feel….Modern man likes to “calculate” everything - While we must be prudent in this world…We also must learn to trust our Lord, who loves us and will never abandon us…Doing things “God’s way” when it comes to not using contraception will not make sense to the world today…I remember at my job when I was about to have my fifth child…My boss was like…”Joe - You are crazy”…..But in the end, it all worked out….When we do things “God’s way” - God not only provides but God forms us in the process, molding us into the people he created us to be - And that is a process, which does not happen over night…Jesus asked Peter today in the Gospel…"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch”…....We must do the same in this life…Even if what is asked of us does not always “make sense”…God knows what is best….And if we are obedient to him…The results will far exceed our expectations

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective”

Today in the Gospel from Mass Peter trusts Jesus blindly and he was not disappointed. We too must learn to trust God’s will for us in real time…As Catholics in the world we are asked in a sense to do many things that to some many seem “impossible"…But I have learned in my walk with the Lord over the years that our God is the God of the impossible…Jesus Christ rose from the dead….It does not get any more “impossible then that”….And a man who rose from the dead can do all things…So can we if we learn to trust him