Homily For Thursday, Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time, Year A, 3rd September 2026. The Memorial of Pope St. Gregory The Great

Readings: 1Cor 3:18-23, Ps. 23, Luke 5:1-11

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia

HAVING AN ENCOUNTER THAT LEADS TO TRUE CONVERSION

There is something deep and unique about every person; sometimes it takes personal experience to discover it. I don't know if you have ever had an experience that made you realise 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, which made him realise his emptiness and fall to his knees before 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 signalled 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 encounter brought true conversion to Simon and his companion, changing their destiny from fishermen to fishers of men. For 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 many 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. And St. Paul in our first reading said: make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God.

Dear friends, like Simon and his brothers, we are called to reflect on our personal encounter with God, an encounter that brings true conversion. 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 you of him?

In case we have not personally encountered him, all we need to do is sincerely seek God in those common events in our lives. Then, we will realise how much God is willing to reveal himself to us. Just like Pope St. Gregory the Great, whose memorial we celebrate today, he had a personal encounter with the Lord, which propelled his effort in spreading the Gospel message and, by so doing, converted many more souls to the Lord.

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 encounter with you and uniquely experience you in our daily activities, and through this experience discover our purpose in life. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Have a favourable day.