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Letting Go of Our Nets: A Journey with Peter

By Maureen Smith

The Call

The_Calling_of_Saints_Peter_and_Andrew_-_Caravaggio_(1571-1610)Yesterday morning I took the walk of shame down the side aisle of the Chapel, 5 minutes late and we were already at the Gospel. Frustrated and feeling confirmation that I was definitely a failure at absolutely everything if I couldn’t even make it to Mass on time, I then listened to the Gospel and underneath my gritted teeth felt a sense of relief and the first sign of a smile since yesterday. Having experienced a personal failure a week ago (joining the ranks of the unemployed), I felt comforted by the life and example of Peter.

In the Call of Peter in Mark’s Gospel, which we read yesterday, Jesus clarifies Peter’s vocation and asks him to leave behind what he thought defined him for a life of intimacy and trust in the Lord rather than in the success of the work of his hands.

Similarly, in Luke’s account of the Call of Peter, Jesus uses a moment of failure (on the part of Peter to provide fish after working all night) to reveal His identity as the Son of God while also challenging Peter to discover his own identity, not as a fisherman but as Jesus calls him in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, a “fisher of men.” John’s Gospel recounts a somewhat different, but not inconsistent, first encounter. Here Jesus also reveals to Peter (then Simon) his identity by renaming him Cephas (Peter).

Let It Go!

The_Denial_of_Saint_Peter-Caravaggio_(1610)

As we see in our scriptural pilgrimage, it takes Peter a while to really let go of what he thinks constitutes his identity, as well as his ideas of the Messiah and how His glory should be manifested. We see this when he fails to walk on water, when he rebukes Jesus for predicting his crucifixion, and when he denies Jesus three times.

He may have left behind his fisherman’s nets but there are still many figurative nets holding him back from receiving the truth of his identity as well as what it means to be an Apostle, probably because he is unable to believe the totality of Jesus’s identity which He holds unfolds (albeit sometimes cryptically) to Peter and the others.

Nets

So often we, too, link our accomplishments and the outcomes of our efforts to our identity so that, if and when they fail to measure up to our standards or those of others, we judge ourselves to be inadequate and are quickly overtaken by tidal waves of unworthiness. We assess ourselves by how productive work was, the number on the scale, the number of miles we ran, positive feedback, approval of others, or any other combination of worldly measures of success. It is not wrong that we have aspirations, but it is not true that these standards have any bearing on our identity and worthiness of God’s love and mercy. What are the “nets” we cling to for a sense of acceptance and worthiness that, although they may be part of our calling, are not essential to our identity? Do we need to put them down as Jesus instructs Peter in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew? Or do we need to trust in Jesus’s intercession and instruction as we see in Luke?

Do we struggle to put down these nets because we have a hard time believing in Jesus as truly God, as truly more powerful than our little mistakes or failures to “make something of ourselves?” Yes we can know the truth intellectually, but do we really believe in Jesus, in His power and authority over sin and death, and in the truth that our identity comes from Him rather than our accomplishments or lackthereof?

When Our Nothingness Encounters God’s Mercy

St._Peter_Preaching_at_PentecostWhen we experience failure before the Lord we can become afraid and the shame we feel can be a barrier to further intimacy with him. But these encounters with our weaknesses are often the point of entry for the Lord, just as they were teaching moments and opportunities for Peter.

I think often of how ashamed Peter must have felt in Luke’s account of the Call of Peter. He would have felt a similar sense of failure throughout his journey with  Jesus, however, Jesus uses these opportunities to fill the emptiness in Peter’s heart with His light and truth, which Peter will more fully embrace at Pentecost.

Saint Therese’s thoughts on this passage, recorded in Divine Intimacy by Father Gabriel of Saint Mary Magdalene, give us a refreshing outlook on what Jesus can do with our failures. She writes, “Had the Apostle caught some small fish, perhaps our divine Master would not have, worked a miracle; but he had caught nothing, and so through the power and goodness of God his nets were soon filled with great fishes. Such is Our Lord’s way. He gives as God, with divine generosity, but He insists on humility of heart.”

512px-Rubens_B116In her italics, Therese shows us the keys (no pun intended) to how Peter learned to follow the Lord. We will often find ourselves in the “nothing” stage. This is where the Lord’s grace is most efficacious. However, she warns that He “insists on humility of heart.” This means that we must, like Peter, let go of our fear of failure and put our whole trust in the Jesus and let him be Who He says He is, God!

Now imagine how Jesus looked at Peter in his moments of failure, for example, after a full night of reeling in net after net of nothing. Or when Jesus, after His Resurrection asks Peter if he loves Him. His gaze must have been quite the opposite of Peter’s inward gaze of self-judgment, which actually distorts his perception of how Jesus sees him.

As was the case with Peter, Jesus looks upon our failures with mercy, not with shame, impatience, disgust, etc. He may not immediately reveal His glory in our failures, that usually takes time. We may not reel in a miraculous abundance of tangible goods. Most of our failures will probably require at least a bit of waiting and trusting that eventually Jesus will use this emptiness or failure for His glory and His plan for our welfare…not woe.

Spoiler Alert! (We Will Live Happily Ever After)

Peter, whose blunders are so frequent in the Gospels, shows us that we too can achieve greatness. His ministry most likely did not feel or look successful. It looked much like that of Christ whose life and ministry was looked upon as a failure up until the Resurrection. So also our lives may appear to be lacking in value, but if we remain under the gaze of Jesus and strive to live in the truth of our identity as Children of God, we will achieve the greatest success, sainthood.

Someday, in Heaven, we will hopefully be able chat with Peter, praise God, and laugh about our failures which were transformed into our greatest moments of sanctity. We might feel like we are currently getting a poor return for our efforts, but trust in the example of Peter, it’s worth the struggle!

Genderkingen_2011-05-09_(4)

Read all posts by Maureen Smith Filed Under: Bible Stories, Campus Ministry, Culture, Evangelization, General, Prayer, Scripture, Vocations Tagged With: bible, Call of Peter, encounter, encounter with Jesus, faith, Fisher of Men, Fisherman, Gaze of Mercy, Gospel, Heaven, hope, Identity, keys, Love, mercy, ministry, mission, nets, prayer, Saint Peter, saints, scripture, Vocation

The Four Keys to Everlasting Love: COVER REVEAL!

By Karee Santos

The thrill-ride of book publishing continues as we hit our next milestone: the cover of our new book, The Four Keys to Everlasting Love: How Your Catholic Marriage Can Bring You Joy for a Lifetime!!! This Catholic marriage help book is already available for pre-order at Amazon.com (what a dream come true).

Our editor called publisher Ave Maria Press’ art department their “secret weapon” because of how great they are at developing attractive cover art, so we were overjoyed to work with them. Like everything else in publishing, coming up with a great cover is a long process. First, they asked us for ideas. We were super-excited about the key motif, so dear hubby Manny sketched this.

DRAFT A

Our publisher ran the idea past some focus groups and decided that the cover also needed to showcase the idea of marriage as a shared journey. So they combined both ideas in this stunning version.

DRAFT B

But, because I’m a lawyer, I have to tinker with everything. My sister-in-law Nancy described quite well the difference between working for most people — who say “great!!!” — and lawyers, who say “great! Now change this, fix that, improve the other thing….” I asked the art department to  make the grass a little greener, because doesn’t everyone want that? And I asked them to make our foreword writer Christopher West‘s name a little bigger, because we are Very, Very Excited that he is supporting our Catholic marriage advice book. (His Facebook page just exceeded 50,000 likes, which is pretty major. Plus, he’s awesome.) So, the art department, gave us this, our final cover!!!

FINAL COVER (HURRAY!!!!)

Don’t you just love it? Please, please, tell all your friends and help spread the word.

In other news, our awesome book editor Heidi Hess Saxton left to become the Editorial Director at Servant Books/Franciscan Media. Our book project is now being shepherded by Ave Maria Press’ current Editorial Director Bob Hamma. We are honored to have worked with two people of such high caliber. And after Heidi left Ave Maria Press, CatholicMom founder Lisa Hendey joined them as editor-at-large. What a small world!

Read all posts by Karee Santos Filed Under: General, RCIA & Adult Education, Resources, Sacraments, Vocations Tagged With: Ave Maria Press, Catholic family, Catholic marriage, marriage advice

Vocation, Vocation, Vocation

By Elizabeth Ficocelli

Sunday, April 26th, is the 52nd Annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations

In a special message written for that occasion, Pope Francis defines the Christian vocation as “first and foremost a call to love.” Using the wonderful analogy of the call of Moses to lead his people out of bondage and into the Promised Land, the Holy Father explains that a vocation is a love that draws us out of ourselves and asks us to leave behind our comfort, false securities, and ego to move forward with trust, knowing that God will show us the way. “Those who set out to follow Christ find life in abundance by putting themselves completely at the service of God and his Kingdom,” the pope said. “The exodus towards God and others fills our lives with joy and meaning.” The reality is, everyone has a vocation, whether it is to the priesthood, religious life, married or single life. Each is important and each is a valid pathway to holiness. It is our responsibility as Christians to enter into a deep and personal conversation with God to discover exactly which vocation he may be calling us to. Once we discover and live that vocation with our whole heart, our lives will be all the richer – and so will the Church and the world. That’s because a vocation is a calling to service. It’s a way to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to others and help establish his Kingdom here on earth.

Once we discern and begin living our vocation, our job is not over. We are to encourage and support others in their discernment and in their current vocations. That’s why the Church initiated The World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Together, we can pray that God will send laborers to the harvest. And that those laborers will respond with openness and generosity.

As part of my ministry, I have a heart for inspiring vocations. One way I do that is through the radio program I host for St. Gabriel Catholic Radio AM 820. Each week I have the privilege of interviewing priests, deacons, and religious sisters and brothers about their personal spiritual journeys to learn how they heard and answered God’s call and how they are living their current vocations. If you’ve never caught the show, I encourage you to listen Tuesdays or Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Previous episodes of “Answering The Call” are archived at www.stgabrielradio.com.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnother way I strive to inspire vocations is through my writing. As a parent, I particular recognize the need to encourage vocations in our children. We need to plant the seeds of awareness and openness at a young age so they, too, can begin their dialogue with God to discover their unique vocation. To that end, I’ve written a children’s book series called Where Do Priests Come From? Where Do Sisters Come From? and Where Do Deacons Come From? Each contains charming illustrations and text to make real to a young audience these men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving Christ and his Church. You can learn more about these books here: https://elizabethficocelli.com/books-for-youth/

This week, pray about it. In what way might you inspire vocations?

Elizabeth Ficocelli is a Catholic author of 15 books for adults and young people, a national Catholic speaker, a frequent guest on Catholic radio and television, and the host of “Answering The Call” on St. Gabriel Catholic Radio AM 820. For more on her writing, speaking, and media work visit: www.elizabethficocelli.com

Read all posts by Elizabeth Ficocelli Filed Under: Vocations Tagged With: Elizabeth Ficocelli, St. Gabriel Catholic Radio, vocations

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