Feb. 7, 2010 - 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the old Walt Kelly comic strip "Pogo"
every time things would get to be too much
for the main characters you could bet on seeing
the "Gone fishin'" sign posted on a nearby
tree. It was a literary device that Kelly used,
to bring a break to the previous action and change the story line. In a way, Luke does the
same thing in Sunday's Gospel. After the press
of the crowds, Jesus convinces Simon to let
him teach from the boat. Then he tells him to
head out into deep water to fish. We've
changed the subject from Jesus healing and
preaching. Suddenly, we've "Gone fishin'," and while initially that's
what is literally happening, it doesn't stay that way for long. It's a
setup for the greater point of the story: "From now on you will be
catching men."
It's not just Simon and the sons of Zebedee that get led into this
convenient little scenario. Gospels are not just quaint stories. They
are good news for us as well. Jesus gets into life with us, much like he
got into Simon's boat. He tells us to go out a little farther, that is,
to stretch our faith a little more. And even when we want to give
up ("we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing")
he tells us to cast into the deep. Trusting in him, we find that
wondrous things happen as we witness to the meaning of Jesus
in our lives. In the end, the example of our faith is to lead
others to Jesus. That's where instead of fish, we'll be catching
men and women.
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if we hung
a little "Gone fishin'" sign somewhere where we would see
it every day, as long as we remember that our faith is
the net, and from now on we're out there fishing to bring
others to Christ.
Who We Are
All Saints Catholic Church is an active community
of approximately 1,400 families located in Rossford,
Ohio. Once two separate communities of faith, Sts. Cyril & Methodious and St. Mary Magdalene, the two churches were combined
in 1990.
As Christian stewards, we believe that our time, talent and
treasure are gifts from God to be used for the spiritual,
educational and social needs of our community, diocese and
the world at large.
Members of All Saints Catholic Church
enjoy an active parish life. We welcome your visit to our Web
site and encourage you to share in the fellowship and worship
of our Christian community.
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