GO FISH!

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-Hames Hadd matul is-Sena

Messalin C 282

Reading  1     -         Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8  

In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,  with the train of his garment filling the temple. Seraphim were stationed above. They cried one to the other, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!    All the earth is filled with his glory!” At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it, and said, “See, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?  Who will go for us?” “Here I am,” I said; “send me!” This is the Word of TheLord.

L-Ewwel Qari    -   mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 6, 1-2, 3-8

Fis-sena li fiha miet is-sultan Għużżija, jien rajt lil Sidi bilqiegħda fuq it-tron għoli merfgħu  'il fuq;  djul il-libsa tiegħu kienu jimlew it-tempju, 'Il fuq minnu kien hemm serafini, li kienu jgħajtu u jwieġbu lil xulxin:  "Qaddis, qaddis,qaddis hu l-Mulej tal-eżerċti! l-art kollha mimlija bil-glorja tiegħu." Bl-għajjat tagħhom is-sisien tal-għetiebi theżżu, u t-tempju mtela bid-duħħan.   Imbagħad jien għedt: "Jaħasra għalija!  Mitluf jien! Bniedem b'xuftejh imniġġsa jien!   U f'nofs poplu b'xofftejh imniġġsa ngħammar; madanakollu rajt b'għajnejja lis-Saltan, il-Mulej tal-eżerċti." Wieħed mis-serafini ttajjar lejja, b'ġamra nar f'idu,  li hu kien qabad bi mqass minn fuq l-artal, u messli fommi biha u qalli: "Ara, din messitlek xifftiejk; ħżunitek għebet, u dnubek inħafer." Imbagħad smajt leħen Sidi jgħid  "Lil min se nibgħat?  Min  se jmurilna? U jien weġibt: "Hawn jien, ibgħat lili!" Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                   PSALM 138:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 7-8

(1c) In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.                                  R/

Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.                             R/

All the kings of the earth shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth;
and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD:
“Great is the glory of the LORD.”                              R/

Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.                        R/

Salm Responsorjali                    -              SALM 137(138)

                Quddiem l-allat, Mulej, irrid ngħannilek.

Iroddlok ħajr, Mulej. b'qalbi kollha,

għaliex int smajt kliem fommi.

Quddiem l-allat irrid ngħannilek.

B'wiċċi fl-art ninxteħet quddiem is-santwarju tiegħek. R/

Irroddlok ħajr għat-tjieba u l-fedelta' tiegħek,

għax int kabbar ismek u kelmtek fuq kollox.

Meta ssejaħtlek, int weġibtni,

Kattarli l-qawwa f'ruħi.                                                                  R/

Iroddulek ħajr, Mulej, is-slaten kollha ta' l-art,

għaliex semgħu l-kliem ta' fommok.

U jgħannu l-imġiba tal-Mulej,

għax kbir hu sebħ  il-Mulej.                                                        R/

Il-leminija tiegħek issalvani.

Il-Mulej iżomm kelmtu miegħi.

It-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej, tibqa' għal dejjem;

la titlaqx għemil idejk.                                                                  R/

Reading 2                         1 Corinthians15:1-11
I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, Christ appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me. Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari  -  mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 15, 1-11

Ħuti, irrid infakkarkom fl-Evanġelju li xandarnielkom u li intom ilqajtu  u li fih qegħdin iżżomu sħiħ. Bih intom salvi  bil-kelma li jien ħabbartilkom, kemm-il darba żżommuha, jekk ma emmintux għal xejn. Qabel xejn, jien għallimitkom dak li tgħallimt jien, jiġifieri, li Kristu miet minħabba dnubietna, skond l-Iskrittura; difnuh u qam mill-imwiet fit-tielet jum, skont l-Iskrittura. U deher lil Kefa, u mbagħad lit-Tnax. Deher imbagħad lil aktar minn ħames mitt aħwa flimkien. Ħafna minnhom għadhom ħajjin sa llum; xi wħud minnhom raqdu. Imbagħad deher lil Ġakbu u lill-appostli kollha. Fl-aħħar deher lili wkoll wara kulħadd, qisni twelid mormi qabel il-waqt, għax jien l-inqas wieħed fost l-appostli, u ma jistħoqlix nissejjaħ appostlu, għaliex kont naħqar il-Knisja ta' Alla. Imma bil-grazzja ta' Alla jien dak li jien u l-grazzja tiegħu fija ma sfatx fix-xejn, għax tħabatt ħafna iktar minnhom ilkoll; għad li mhux jien, iżda l-grazzja ta' Alla li hi miegħi.  Imma sew huma u sew jien, dan aħna xandarna, u dan emmintu intom.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                Luke 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. This is the Word of the Lord.

Evanġelju   -   Qari skont San Luqa 5,1-11

Darba l-kotra bdiet tross fuq Ġesu' biex tisma' l-kelma ta' Alla. Hu kien qiegħed f'xatt l-għadira ta' Ġennesaret. U ra żewġ dgħajjes qegħdin max-xatt; is-sajjieda kienu niżlu miunn fuqhom u kienu qegħdin jaħlsu x-xbiek.Tela' fuq waħda minnhom, li kienet ta' Xmun, u talbu jaqla' kemmxejn 'il barra mill-art; imbagħad  qagħad bilqiegħda u beda jgħallem lin-nies mid-dgħasja. Meta temm li kellu jgħid, qal lil Xmun: "Aqdef 'il barra fil-fond, u kalaw ix-xbiek tagħkom għas-sajd." Wieġbu Xmun u qallu:  "Mgħallem, għamilna lejl sħiħ nitħabtu u ma qbadna xejn.  Imma la qiegħed tgħid int, ħa nkala xbiek." Hekk għamlu, u qabdu kotra hekk kbira ta' ħut li x-xbiek tagħhom kien għoddu nqasam.  Għalhekk għamlu sinjal lil sħabhom li kienu fid-dgħasja l-oħra  biex jiġu jgħinuhom.   Dawk ġew, u mlew  iż-żewġ dgħajjes hekk li għal ftit ma għerqux. Xmun Pietru, kif ra dan, inxteħet f'riġlejn Ġesu' qallu: "Tbiegħed minni, Mulej, għaliex jien raġel midneb!" Għax baqgħu tassew mistagħġba, kemm hu u kemm dawk kollha li kienu miegħu, għal dik il-qabda ħut li qabdu.  U hekk ukoll ġralhom Ġakbu u Ġwanni, ulied Żebedew, li kienu sħab  Xmun.   Imbagħad  Ġesu' qal lil Xmun: "Tibżax'; minn issa 'l quddiem tkun taqbad in-nies." Meta mbagħad  ressqu d-dgħajjes mal-art, telqu kollox u marru warajh. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej 

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Commentary by Larry Broding

Go Fish!

When was the last time you went fishing?

If you’ve had any experience fishing you know that the best time to catch is in the early morning, when the fish swim to the surface for food and warmth. When the water warms with the heat of the day, they swim to lower depths.

Simon Peter, along with his contemporaries, knew this. When he returned after a pre-dawn expedition without any fish, he was frustrated. No more frustrated than with the traveling preacher who commandeered his boat for preaching, then ordered him to go fishing in the middle of the day. That day would change his life, for he encountered, then followed, Jesus.  I hate to admit it but I've never caught a fish in my life. I can empathize with Simon in Luke's gospel. He worked all night without a single fish to call his own. Then, he met Jesus. And the fish came in abundance. So did a call.

On one level, Luke presented Simon's call in a straightforward manner. After Jesus ordered the fisherman to lower his nets, the catch overwhelmed Simon. So did the call. On a deeper level, however, the narrative revealed the influence of the Galilean ministry on the writing of the gospels (and the Christian tradition).

The narrative line was simple. In Luke, Jesus moved to the coast of Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee) in Capernaum. Here he called his first disciples (who become his closest friends). The context of the story indicated that Jesus arrived early in the morning, a time of day when the fishermen were cleaning up after a night's fishing. Jesus entered the boat of Simon and began to preach to the crowd. If Simon (the assumed leader) allowed Jesus, the rabbi, to teach from his boat (an honour that would have raised the reputation of Simon to a higher level), he certainly would not have objected to Jesus' next request. So, the teaching of Jesus set up the willingness of Simon and his partners in the following verses.

Luke unfolded a fish story that turns common sense upside down. To maximize a catch, fishing was done at night when water was cool and the activity of the fish was minimal. During the day, the fish would see the activity of the boats on the surface and, with the water warming, would easily swim away. Notice Peter's surprise to Jesus' command, and greater surprise to the size of the catch, enough to fill two boats! In the sight of the miracle, Peter declares his sinful status before the man who has the power of God. [4-10]

With the revelation of God's power, Jesus called Peter and friends to fish for people. Together, they left their boats and their livelihoods to join with the rabbi. [10-11]

On a deeper level, the impact of the fishermen, Simon, Andrew, James, and John, upon the Christian tradition cannot be underestimated. For example, the method of transportation. Without a knowledge of sailing, how was Jesus, a traveling preacher, going to visit towns and hamlets along the lake shore line? (Remember the towns of Bethsaida, Capernaum, Chorazin, Gadara, Gennesaret, Magdala, and Tiberias?) Enter Simon and his friends.

The commodity Simon and the others used for income had influence. As a food, fish itself was common in the region, after the discovery of drying techniques. Fish figured in the stories of the multiplication of the loaves (Matthew 14.13-21; Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14) and John's post-resurrection narrative that paralleled this narrative (John 21:1-19). Jesus used fish in his parable on prayer (Luke 11:11) and in the story of paying the Temple Tax (Matthew 17:24-26). And, let's not forget the famous IXTHUS or Christian "fish" symbol of the early Church.

Finally, the fishing boat Simon and his friends used for travel became a symbol for the Church. When Jesus walked on the water of the lake (Matthew 14.22-33; Mark 6:45-49; John 6.15-21), the boat in the storm tossed the doubting disciples about. This image symbolized the Church in a state of anxiety when it faced persecution.

In his early ministry, Jesus formed a travelling ministry that was supported by the hospitality of believers in a rural lake region. After his resurrection and ascension, followers formed communities in urban settings. While there was a real (and radical) shift in setting, the traditions of Jesus' early lake ministry found its way into the oral and written gospels of city churches.

An encounter with God – as when Simon realized the power and presence of God before him -  is an experience that transcends our perceptions. Moses encountered God in the burning bush. When asked for a name, God responded with an enigma that transcended understanding: "I Am who I Am." The name itself described the unknowable and totally Other. Yet, the name also revealed God's eternal presence. He who was beyond all understanding would be close, present to whom he revealed himself. The encounter and the name revealed told Moses that God always was and always would be present. God was eternally transcendent, yet eternally immanent. An encounter with such a reality demanded a response. It could not be ignored.

An encounter with God also transcends our expectations. God is radically free. And he calls us to his will. We do not call him to ours. Simon could not anticipate nor expect a call from God. Yet, he received a call to reach beyond himself and follow the Lord. We, too, receive the same call. Reach beyond and follow Jesus.

How has God "caught you in his net?" How has that experience changed your life?

Though I've never caught a fish that doesn't mean I haven't been caught. In fact, I was caught a long time ago. Chances are most of you who have read this have been caught, too. God, through people, went fishing. God caught more than my average. A lot more. Let's pray we can be part of that fishing expedition.

How can you be part of God's fishing expedition this week? Remember who the Captain of the boat really is.