"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."

Jesus has been very busy, nearly overwhelmed with healing and driving out demons when he went away in the early morning hours to pray. Yet the crowds came looking for him. He then moved on to the neighboring villages to proclaim the good news elsewhere.

Today Jesus is hemmed in by so many people that the crowd is literally "pressing in on" him as the people are "listening to the word of God" while he stood by the Sea of Galilee.

This is when Jesus "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 taught, he then turned to Simon-Peter: "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."
One has to wonder if there was a pause after Simon explained that they had caught nothing. But yet Simon agrees to lower the nets.

How many times have we found ourselves exhausted, at wits end, and yet we sense the Lord calling us to go out again - despite the fact that we have exhausted our own resources - and trust in God's grace?

It is an act of faith, isn't it?

We are called to put out in the deep and lower our nets for a catch.

Where are we being called?

To what depths are we being called?

May we pray for the courage to lower our nets for a great catch.

Prepare for a miracle.

When the disciples did as Jesus commanded, they caught such a great number of fish that their nets began to tear.

(From Luke 5:1-11)