“FISH OUT OF FIRE INTO WATER”
Saint Luke 5: 1-11
5th Sunday after Trinity: 21 July Anno Domini 2019
Father Jay Watson SSP
“And it came to pass…” writes the blessed Evangelist. For him, and for those people “pressed upon Christ to hear the Word of God” so it seemed. But nothing just comes to pass as if it is happenstance, coincidence, or just dumb luck. The Word of God know His own—His sheep, or in this pericope, His fishes and His fishermen.
This is both a missionary text and a liturgical text. The Church, The Christ & His Fishers, only goes out to gather, to fish, the catch, in order to bring them into the ship—The Church. The Church is only The Word of God. The Church is not programs, activities, meetings, boards, and entertainments. The Church is the preaching of Jesus’ Remission of Sins and of the distribution of His precious Body and Blood. The Church is Liturgy, Gottesdienst—“God’s serving of God” to hungry, hurting, burdened people.
The Word of God is a lure but not in a bad destructive way. It’s a life preserver tossed into the roiling, boiling, ocean of perdition and brimstone. It is for the salvation of fish being sucked down into the abyss. The Word of God is bait—live bait, living bait. They did not use frogs, nightcrawlers, or minnows to fish on the Sea of Galilee. The men who lived by their vocation used nets. The nets were tossed out and they either gathered in fish, or they did not. No matter how talented Peter, John, Andrew, and James were, many, many, times the cast out and draw in produced nothing. They encountered what the Church has always experienced, and always will, “Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing.”
Groups and communities of “Christians” in North America are shrinking. Parishes and Congregations are shrinking. It matters not one whit to The Mission of The Church, to Christ’s Person and Work. Preach the Word in season and out He says through the Apostle Paul. “What of that, what of that?” he says through the hymnist Martin Franzman. “That we may obtain this faith (being part of that great ‘inclosed…multitude of fishes’) the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments (the ‘two ships’) was instituted (‘fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men’) For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments (‘ships, nets, toil’ i.e. preaching Christ Crucified) The Holy Ghost is given, Who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear The Gospel.” That, Jesus says through Augustana Article V.
Fishers of men are not called, or expected, to be liked, rewarded as the world rewards, or even respected. They are called to follow The Christ’s Words: “launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” This does not mean going door-to-door like a damned Jehovah’s Witness or a D. James Kennedy frightened Arminian; this does not mean leaving all and going to Somalia or Bangladesh (though it might). This means preaching, teaching, washing, forgiving, and feeding from the ship of the Church Catholic wherever The Christ has placed that “sinful man” in a sea of sinful men.
The “12” forsook all and followed Christ—even tax-collectors and zealots were made fishers of men.
You are called to forsake the sinful world, the sinful devil, and your own sinful flesh. You are called to repentance and belief. Hear your Lord speaking. Follow Him as His Holy Ghost draws you as living fish from the lake of fire to the waters of re-birth, and still comfort. He will press you upon the Word of God—Himself—at the rail that you might be little ICTHOI of He Who is JESUS CHRIST GOD’S SON and SAVIOR. Swim freely and forever in HIM Who delights to swim in you.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
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