T
twb1621
Guest
This is a boat of fishermen. Some of the apostles were fishermen too. Jesus uses this to make a prophecy.
Matthew 4:17-20. “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”
The reference to the Kingdom fits too, because Jesus compares the Kingdom to a net.
Matthew 13:47-50. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Luke’s Gospel Story is a lesson about the future. The Lord sends His Apostles out on to the lake in a boat, and in that boat there are many roles to fill. There is the captain, there are men to row, men to mind the sail - there are men to cast the nets, to haul in the fish - and when the boat returns to shore, there are men and women to clean the fish, to salt some of the catch for preserving, and to take the rest for cooking, so that everyone may feast, and their hunger be assuaged.
This is not the only time in the Gospels, when the boat, the fishing boat, the Bark of Peter figures in Our Lord’s teaching to His Apostles. One time, while He sleeps, a storm rages, putting the fear of death into the Apostles. But Our Lord wakes up and calms the storm. Another time, His desire to be with His men moves Him to walk upon the waters, and He challenges Peter to do the same. Both times, Our Lord chides His men about their lack of faith - for if we have faith in Him, in His care for us, then no storm will overturn the boat in which we sail, and no water will open to swallow us up in darkness.
The boat, dear friends, is the Church, and Peter is its captain - but always above, more powerful than the storm or the deep, and always ready to provide the food we need, is the Holy Spirit, the protecting arm of the Lord, the invincible strength, against which, as He promised, the gates of Hell will not prevail. And in the boat and upon the shore waiting are the men and women of the Church - bishops, priests, deacons, religious, lay men and women, each with their function, each with their work to make the boat work, to haul in the catch, and to provide for the needs of all whose life depends upon the boat, and the boat’s payload.
In the following Gospel Story of Luke, note that of the two available boats, Jesus selected Simon’s boat. Here the spotlight is on Simon Peter, who would later lead the early Church, but his companions are always in the shadows, ready to help. Simon’s boat is seen as a symbol of the pilgrim Church on earth. Jesus gets into Peter’s boat in order to teach the crowds; and from the Bark of Peter, the Church, He continues to teach the whole world. The vastness of the catch is a symbol of the many nations to whom the gospel will be preached…
Luke 5:1-11. As the crowd pressed in on Jesus to hear the word of God, He saw two boats moored by the side of the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to pull out a short distance from the shore; then, remaining seated, He continued to teach the crowds from the boat. When He had finished speaking He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have been hard at it all night long and have caught nothing; but if You say so, I will lower the nets.” Upon doing this they caught such a great number of fish that their nets were at the breaking point. They signaled to their mates in the other boat to come and help them. These came, and together they filled the two boats until they nearly sank.
At the sight of this, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man.” For indeed, amazement at the catch they had made seized him and all his shipmates, as well as James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” With that they brought their boats to land, left everything, and became His followers.
Matthew 4:17-20. “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea - for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.”
The reference to the Kingdom fits too, because Jesus compares the Kingdom to a net.
Matthew 13:47-50. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Luke’s Gospel Story is a lesson about the future. The Lord sends His Apostles out on to the lake in a boat, and in that boat there are many roles to fill. There is the captain, there are men to row, men to mind the sail - there are men to cast the nets, to haul in the fish - and when the boat returns to shore, there are men and women to clean the fish, to salt some of the catch for preserving, and to take the rest for cooking, so that everyone may feast, and their hunger be assuaged.
This is not the only time in the Gospels, when the boat, the fishing boat, the Bark of Peter figures in Our Lord’s teaching to His Apostles. One time, while He sleeps, a storm rages, putting the fear of death into the Apostles. But Our Lord wakes up and calms the storm. Another time, His desire to be with His men moves Him to walk upon the waters, and He challenges Peter to do the same. Both times, Our Lord chides His men about their lack of faith - for if we have faith in Him, in His care for us, then no storm will overturn the boat in which we sail, and no water will open to swallow us up in darkness.
The boat, dear friends, is the Church, and Peter is its captain - but always above, more powerful than the storm or the deep, and always ready to provide the food we need, is the Holy Spirit, the protecting arm of the Lord, the invincible strength, against which, as He promised, the gates of Hell will not prevail. And in the boat and upon the shore waiting are the men and women of the Church - bishops, priests, deacons, religious, lay men and women, each with their function, each with their work to make the boat work, to haul in the catch, and to provide for the needs of all whose life depends upon the boat, and the boat’s payload.
In the following Gospel Story of Luke, note that of the two available boats, Jesus selected Simon’s boat. Here the spotlight is on Simon Peter, who would later lead the early Church, but his companions are always in the shadows, ready to help. Simon’s boat is seen as a symbol of the pilgrim Church on earth. Jesus gets into Peter’s boat in order to teach the crowds; and from the Bark of Peter, the Church, He continues to teach the whole world. The vastness of the catch is a symbol of the many nations to whom the gospel will be preached…
Luke 5:1-11. As the crowd pressed in on Jesus to hear the word of God, He saw two boats moored by the side of the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to pull out a short distance from the shore; then, remaining seated, He continued to teach the crowds from the boat. When He had finished speaking He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have been hard at it all night long and have caught nothing; but if You say so, I will lower the nets.” Upon doing this they caught such a great number of fish that their nets were at the breaking point. They signaled to their mates in the other boat to come and help them. These came, and together they filled the two boats until they nearly sank.
At the sight of this, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man.” For indeed, amazement at the catch they had made seized him and all his shipmates, as well as James and John, Zebedee’s sons, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.” With that they brought their boats to land, left everything, and became His followers.
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Take a break if you like, though, by all means. Don’t feel you have to respond to us immediately; take your time and, as you told me over email, let your other responsibilities come first. Plus your health 
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