faith to try again
"Master, we have been hard at it all night long and have caught nothing; but if You say so, I will lower the nets." —Luke 5:5
Even in our culture of death, many of us have "been hard at" evangelizing, serving, and working for the Lord. Some of us seemingly have "toiled in vain, and for nothing, uselessly, spent" our strength (Is 49:4). After we have been frustrated for years, now the Lord through Pope John Paul II tells us to "put out into deep water" (Lk 5:4). Pope John Paul II has prophesied that this year is the year of the Great Jubilee — "a year of the remission of sins and of the punishments due to them, a year of reconciliation between disputing parties, a year of manifold conversions" (Towards the Third Millennium, 14). This year will be greater than any other Jubilee Year in history (Towards the Third Millennium, 16). Because this is the year of exceptional fruitfulness, the Lord commands us to "put out into deep water."
At the same time, Satan is trying to rob us of the Great Jubilee. He accuses us day and night (Rv 12:10). He encourages our cynicism and plays on our pessimism. He tells us to give up hope so that we will not have our hopes disappointed again. Satan tells us to be "realistic" — to walk by sight and not by faith (cf 2 Cor 5:7).
But Jesus continues to say: "Put out into deep water." Will you have faith to try again, or will you remain crushed by frustration?
Prayer: Father, none of Your promises are "too good to be true." I believe in You.
Promise: "If any one of you thinks he is wise in a worldly way, he had better become a fool. In that way he will really be wise." —1 Cor 3:18
Praise: Confessing an attitude of cynicism harbored toward a certain group of people, Edith was led to minister love and hospitality to those very people shortly after her Confession.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Edward J. Gratsch, March 8, 2000
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, March 9, 2000