Let Go, and Let God

Reflection Luke 5:1-11

Simon Peter and his companions, Andrew, James and John, were professional fishermen. They must have been fishing in the same lake Gennesaret for years. They knew that the best time to catch fish was at night. That was exactly what they had tried to do all night. But they caught nothing.

Then a carpenter came along, a man who knew nothing about fishing. He told them to payout their nets in broad daylight. The fishermen had their doubts. They knew that it was a mission impossible. But they were polite people. They did not want to be disrespectful or rude to Jesus. So, out of respect for him, they paid out their nets. The result was a miracle. They caught enough fish to sink their two boats. Immediately, they knew that the man in the boat with them was not a mere man. Simon Peter called him "Lord'~ and said "Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man."

That is the difference between doing it yourself, and letting God do it with you. Until Jesus intervened, the fishermen were trying to do it on their own. They drew a blank; they caught nothing. The moment Jesus stepped in, a miracle happened.

It is like that with us. We have a project. We know everything about it; it is our field; we are experts in it. We have the resources: money, materials. But we are not making it. We are working at it day and night. Still we are not making it. What are we not doing right? Maybe we are trying to do it on our own, like the fishermen fishing all night on their own without success.

Has it occurred to you to hand that project over to God? Bring God into it. Put it into prayer, have Mass offered, ask your family, friends and fellow parishioners to help you in praying for the success of your project. You are likely to end up with what theologians call a "religious experience", like Simon Peter's, and find yourself saying, "Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man (or woman)."

So, why not let Go, and let God?