yesterday's interruption

Luke 5:1-11

Today I would like to reflect a bit on yesterday's gospel reading.

The scene:
The crowds were pressing in and around Jesus.  Things were getting quickly out of hand.  The crowd was growing frantic, they all wanted to be close to Jesus.  JEsus gets in a a boat and embarks away from the shore line, away from the crowd in order create space so that he could teach.

The boat belonged to Simon, the fisherman.

After he finished his teaching he asked the SImon to "put out into the deep and lower the nets for a catch."

Simon was reluctant. "Master we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing but at your command I will lower the nets."

The catch was enormous, so much so the net was tearing and the other boat nearby had to come to their aid.

They were all seized and astonished.  Jesus responds, "do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men."  They left everything and followed him.


The story of our lives:

How often have we been interrupted in our lives?  How often have our plans changed or been changed beyond our control?  How often have the unexpected left us a bit astonished and seized ourselves by the unfolding our our lives?

Recently I have inherited a nephew, a 19 year old nephew.  He has been sleeping in my study.  I have had to adjust to this new situation and living arrangement.

A few weeks back My sister informed me that my nephew her son was going to be on a one way flight to Austin and she wanted to know if I could keep him for a while.

I am nephew sitting, I suppose.

He is a good kid, though a teenager.  Teenagers are a different breed of people.  I think the soul leaves the body when we are teenagers.  IT has been a trying time, though a graceful time as well.

But our lives, his and mine, have been interrupted from the general course we were headed.

I had to take  a step back.  This time has certainly caused my prayer life to increase. God an dI have many conversations.  I was pretty sure i was cut out to be a priest; not so sure if I am cut out to be  a parent of a teenager.

But the interruption has occurred.  Not unlike with SImon in the gospel.  His life was coasting along.  We can surmise that he was content with his trade on the open sea, fishing.  I suspect his father was a fisherman, and his father's father was a fisherman and so on.  He was on the path he knew was destined for him: tending and mending nets and seeking out the big haul.

Yet his life changes in a flash.  God's interrupts his plan.  The word of God enters his life and invites him to put out into the deep, to do what seemed impossible, "Lord we worked hard all night and have caught nothing."

Going against his instinct as a fisherman he listened.  Why did he listen?  Something moved him to respond in an affirmative manner.  In that brief moment of letting God in, letting Jesus take command of his life he went from a fishermen to a fisher of  men.

What a beautiful interruption.  He could have rejected it and fought it but he simply surrendered and let God lead.

God does that.

He wants to interrupt our lives often.  There will be moments we will rejoice and gladly receive the interruption and there will be moments we will want to fight it but we have a choice.

We can put out into the deep and ready our nets and allow God to show us his power or we can cower and fade into bitterness and regret.

I am with Simon, "Depart from me Lord for I am sinful man."  And in the debts of my being the words of Christ echo forth, "Do not be afraid;"

Refreshing it is to let go and let Christ lead.