Duc in Altum

"Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch."

Luke 5:4

Duc in altum means “put out into the deep,” the command and invitation Jesus imparted unto Simon, the fisherman. This comes after Simon had been out all night fishing but was unable to catch anything. Here, on the surface, Jesus, probably an unexperienced fisherman, gives to Simon fishing advice! Yet, Simon entertains Him, saying, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets,” and when he did, the catch was unpredictably enormous.

Some may say it could be a coincidence, and others may call it a timing problem, and many more will doubt that it was providence or a miracle. But it was a miracle. It was the Son of God intervening in nature for the good of man, not simply for a catch of fish, but for a catch of souls, the salvation of souls. Jesus asked Simon to do something that seemed senseless and futile, putting his nets in the water he just did for the entire night that yielded nothing. Yet, knowing this, Jesus asked Simon to anyways because He knew what He was about to do. Jesus never asks us to do something that will be fruitless. Perhaps Simon spent his time in the shallow waters, and so Jesus asked him to try again in the deep waters. Maybe Simon had been unwilling to go into the deep, but rather settled for the safety of the shallow.

Similarly in our spiritual lives, if we constantly stay on the surface or even become content with the superficial, we will find ourselves unable to really connect with the Lord, becoming frustrated and later abandoning prayer all together. We must be willing to go into the deep with the Lord. We have to search and examine the depths of our hearts and bring before the Lord those areas we rather not show or visit. Going into the deep may sometimes be dangerous, but the Lord promises us that it will always be worth it. For to put out into the deep is to place our trust completely in God, and sometimes that can be scary. However, there is no need to fear, because we do not do this alone. Just as Jesus was in the boat with Simon as he cast his nets into the deep, so too will Jesus be with us when we go into the depths of our hearts.

To truly follow Christ, we must do so unreservedly, with our whole beings, with our whole hearts. And I promise you, when you do, your life will never be the same, your life will be filled with the joy and peace that Jesus comes to bring to us because when we live in such a way, it is not longer us who lives, but Christ who lives in us. Perhaps that is the life Jesus came to give to us, a share in His divinity, life with God Himself, and what a catch that is!

Long-Awaited Consolation

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
This man was righteous and devout,
awaiting the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.”

Luke 2:25

Have you ever waited for something to happen, maybe even prepared a long time for it? Maybe it was a vacation you saved up for and planned for months or even years. Perhaps a reunification with a friend or family member you have not seen in ages. For the righteous man Simeon, he was waiting for the “consolation of Israel” and the Holy Spirit told him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ, and the day finally came — the day Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple.

This “Consolation of Israel” was the long-awaited Messiah who would save them from their suffering and persecution. For the Jewish People, the prophets reminded them time and again and God is faithful and that He will bring them out of slavery and into freedom and that there will be rejoicing once again (after the exile); however, not many of the Israelites remained faithful or trusted in the Lord, except for the “faithful remnant.” The descendants of this remnant would one day see this Messiah, and when the fullness of time came, God sent this “consolation of Israel” into the world for the salvation of souls, and this consolation was His very own Son.

Jesus is the consolation to the afflicted, the comforter to the persecuted, the light to those dwelling in darkness. Jesus is the long-awaited consolation of not just the Israelites, but of all peoples. Jesus is the answer to all our troubles, the hope in our despair, the joy in our sorrow, the light in our darkness, and the life in our death. Jesus has come to draw us to Himself so that where He is, we also might be, so that our sin remains no longer an obstacle to God, but that by His Cross and blood, we may come to share in His divinity. When in the depths of our hearts we search for meaning and for answers, and when we long for affirmation and love, although we may not know it, it is really Jesus whom we seek. This long-awaited consolation is in our midst, presented before us. Are we prepared to welcome Him into our hearts?

Watch this week’s reflection below.

Debuting the Glory of God

“As a young man marries a virgin,
   your Builder shall marry you;
and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
   so shall your God rejoice in you.”

Isaiah 62:5

If you were the Lord and was about to begin your public ministry, what would the first thing you do be? Maybe some big miracle or some extravagant sign to show that your power comes from the Father. But, for Jesus, He was a guest at a wedding and seemingly reluctantly performed His first miracle. They ran out of wine, and His Mother asked Him to do something.

Mary and Jesus were at a wedding in Cana and His disciples were there too. John tells us that this wedding happened on the “third day,” and it is not without reason. This concept of the “third” day can bring to mind several things — when Moses went up Mount Sinai, he was told that on the third day God will go down and appear before the people, showing His glory (cf. Ex. 19:11, 15, 16; Deut. 5:24). It also reminds us of the Lord’s glorious Resurrection from the dead. But this three can also mean something more — if we read John’s Gospel closely, we see that it was been four days already and this “third day” makes it the 7th day, alluding to creation in Genesis, reminding us that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and that all things were created through Him. In other words, John is telling us that Jesus is God, and what He was about to do at this wedding reveals His divinity.

When the wedding party realizes that wine is running out, Mary gets a wind of this and tells Jesus to which He gives a seemingly flippant response “How does your concern affect me?” Unlike most people, Mary did not get upset with Jesus and scold Him, rather like in all things, she probably pondered it in her heart, and then she told the servers, “Do whatever he tells you,” trusting that just like God has done in her entire life, He will realize His will when the time is right. Jesus orders the servers to fill the jars and in a most quiet way, He turns the water into wine. Just as Jesus provided for the wedding party, He will provide for us. At this wedding, Jesus turned water into wine, but at the heavenly feast, Jesus, the Bridegroom, shed His very own blood for His Bride, the Church, so that all might be saved.

Even when things seem impossible or when things are not going as planned, may we approach them with hope, heeding the call of Mary to listen to and to do whatever the Lord tell us for when we do, we will come to experience the glory of God, trusting that God is already, has always been, and will always be at work for our good.

Watch this week’s reflection below