Homily For Thursday Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 7th September, 2023

 Readings: Col. 1:9-14; Ps. 98; Luke 5:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

 

HAVING AN ENCOUNTER THAT REVEALS YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE

 

There is something deep and unique about every person, sometimes it takes personal experience to discover this uniqueness. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realize the emptiness of this life, a kind of experience that turns your pride into humility, sinfulness into righteousness. This is the kind of experience that Simon had with Jesus in our Gospel passage today, that made him realize his emptiness and fall at the knees of Jesus confessing his unworthiness.

 

This is because Jesus had said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signaled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them. When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’

 

This very experience brought true conversion in the lives of Simon and his companion, for this encounter changed their destiny from fishermen to fishers of men. They obeyed the Lord who told them to put out into the deep waters, and as soon as they followed His instructions, they netted so much fish that the whole boat could not take it.

 

This glorious event manifested the power and grace of God at work in us especially when we humble ourselves. Little wonder St. Paul in our first reading made us to know that what we should ask God is that through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding that will help us to reach the fullest knowledge of his will. So that we will be able to lead the kind of life which the Lord expects of us, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects; showing the results in all the good actions that we do.

 

Dear friends, like Simon and his brothers, we are called to reflect on our personal experience and encounter with God. An encounter that reveals our purpose in life. But how have we personally experienced God? When was our spiritual turning point? Do we have a personal conviction about God that is not based on what people have told us of him? In case we have not personally encountered him, all we need to do is to sincerely seek God in those common events in our lives. Then, we will realize how much God is willing to reveal himself to us through Jesus Christ his Son.

 

LET US PRAY: Almighty God, every day is an opportunity to encounter you through different events that occur in our lives. Grant that we may have a personal experience of you just like Simon and his companion. May we uniquely experience you in our daily activities and through this experience discover our purpose in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a blessed day.