Go Deep!

Gospel: Luke 5: 1-11

How often do we feel that all our work and effort is in vain? We toil and labor, but we see no results or fruits from them.  In fact, there are days when we feel as though our situation is worse than when we began.  We get to the point of utter exhaustion and we decide to pack it in for the day.  We gather our things and leave for the day discouraged and with little hope.

But along comes the Lord Jesus who asks us to try one more time - to go out into deep waters even! - and let down our nets once again.  We are so exhausted we laugh incredulously at the suggestion.  But we go and do it - perhaps to prove him wrong, perhaps out of respect because it is the Lord, perhaps because we have nothing to lose.  So we do it, and to our surprise we find great success.  We are overwhelmed and exhausted - we can barely handle the success.  

This is the life of faith.  The times are dark and they are hard.  Our work does not seem to be bearing any results or fruit.  But we must continue to persevere in the works of love and mercy.  We must hear the Lord say to us - keep trying, cast out into the deep.  Keep your light shining for others, for someday it will bear fruit and the darkness will fade.  It will only happen if love and mercy are kept alive in our work.  The light will dawn again.  Someday.