The illustrious calling of God to serve Him with the entirety of our lives: Countless men and women have longed to “hear” the Divine Will with clarity. Some noteworthy Saints very well did receive clarity into their vocations of holiness. Jesus is recorded to have personally visited vowed religious such as Francis of Assisi, Margaret Mary Alacoque, Padre Pio and Faustina Kowalska. He told each of them to fulfill extraordinary missions… “Rebuild my church” … “You are to receive me in the Blessed Sacrament” … “This heart of God must be honored” … “Do not tire of proclaiming my Mercy.” While some mysteriously received the mystical wounds of Jesus, others were the recipients of miraculous healings.
As we read today’s Gospel passage, we are reminded about one of Simon Peter’s striking encounters with Jesus Christ, moments which illuminated his doubts and weaknesses in regard to following the long-awaited Savior. While the encounter by the seashore revealed the apostle’s nature of initial skepticism, Peter’s words also express his willingness to welcome the perspective of another. Since he says that the command to “put out into the deep” comes from the lips of the Master, Jesus must have some influence over the situation. By entertaining the possibility that a wise rabbi from Nazareth had a bit of insider’s knowledge into landing a successful catch of fish, Peter made himself available to the greater possibility of an extraordinary calling.
What about in our own lives? Will you allow yourself to “become a fool, so as to become wise,” as St. Paul bravely proclaims (1 Cor. 3:18)? Saint Peter and the other victors of holiness chose to trust in the importance of belonging to Christ, even while facing ridicule from others. When Peter agreed to drop the nets for a final attempt to gather a catch of fish, did his coworkers roll their eyes? Did some even ignore the call to assist him in that seemingly foolish decision? Did they doubt that Jesus communicated the Divine Will for that moment in their lives?
During recent months of warehouse and manufacturing work, some days I wondered if my job decision showed respect to God’s will for that chapter of my life. I often found the work overly repetitious and boring. As I learned how to efficiently transition from one mundane, tiresome task to another the work became more bearable. Smoothly and confidently handling the workday made for an overall more pleasant experience. Slowly letting my guard down with coworkers who led very different lives than me also made a very positive impact on getting some enjoyment out of work. Taken together, I became more approachable and natural in sharing my faith in Christ and the Church! During that season of employment, I learned to embrace “the foolishness” of working a job totally unrelated to my college background and career history, so as to share with others the joy of the Gospel and of simply appreciating the silver-lining.
Recall the ordinary, common moments of this day. Consider how you responded to the influence of the Holy Spirit. Ask the Lord to bring healing to your sinful habits. Finally, be astonished by Divine Mercy.
