So let's talk about today's readings 9/3/09

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cheeto1

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September 3, 2009

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Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the ChurchLectionary:

Reading 1
Col 1:9-14

Brothers and sisters:
From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit
and growing in the knowledge of God,
strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might,
for all endurance and patience,
with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share
in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
He delivered us from the power of darkness
and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

R. (2) The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Gospel
Lk 5:1-11

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“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.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.
 
In the first reading, Paul and Timothy are continuing to talk about praying for the
Colossians. They pray for God to bless them in many ways, but they also pray
that the Colossians will do things.
  1. Never give in (mentioned in my missal, but not here)
  2. Bear anything joyfully (endurance and patience)
  3. Thank God that you can join the saints because your sins are forgiven.
    (joyful thanks, fit to share)
    This whole reading is good advice on how to pray for someone, or a group of people.
“The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice”
– This whole psalm can be fulfilled in Jesus and His cross. But what did it mean
before that, when it was written? What did God’s justice look like that was
revealed to other nations? The Israelites where just ordered to kill people and
take over their land, and that was God’s justice? See even today how Israel is
surrounded by enemies on all sides. These nations don’t see God’s justice, they
feel Israel is evil, and not doing God’s will…

“the fishermen…were washing their nets”
– How did they wash their nets by dragging them to shore? Wouldn’t that just
get them dirty on the dirt?
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
– It seems Peter knew who Jesus was immediately, or why would He call Him Lord?
Do you think anybody would say this to God today? Leave me Lord, for I am
sinful (and I want to stay that way?)

So what struck you about today’s readings? :bible1::twocents:
 
I wonder if Lake Gennesaret is salty because that would help explain why they were washing their nets. Salt is a corrosive and washing them off would help the nets last longer.

Peter asks the Lord to depart from him because he is sinful–his reaction is like Isaiah’s, for example, he recognizes his sinfulness and knows that God cannot abide in the same place as sin. But, actually, we need to say as you suggest, stay, Lord, because I am sinful. Not because we want to stay that way but because, as Jesus Himself once said, the healthy do not need a physician, but those who are sick do. So, we need His presence to heal us, forgive us, and make us whole again.
 
I wonder if Lake Gennesaret is salty because that would help explain why they were washing their nets. Salt is a corrosive and washing them off would help the nets last longer.
I note that it is also called the Sea of Galilee, but what I was reading says the
water of the lake is clear and sweet.
 
I don’t think that Peter wanted to stay sinful, but rather that he felt unworthy to be in Christ’s presence.

I think our secular culture would cause most people to not realize their unworthiness now.
 
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