22nd Week, Thursday, Sept 7
Colossians 1:9-14 / Luke 5:1-11
Paul prays for the Colossians; Your knowledge of God will grow
An elderly woman said in a Bible study class, “I'd give anything
for the knowledge and health to be a missionary. But I don't know the Bible well enough. And, even if 1 did, my health is too poor.” ‘Today's reading reminds us that there are various ways to be a
missionary. Besides, preaching in a missionary country, ‘we can pray for
missionaries and their work. In other words, maybe we can't plant the seed of
God’s word in people's hearts, but we can water the seed that others plant by
our prayers.
***
Do we follow Paul's example and pray that the Gospel may
bear fruit in the lives of those to whom it is preached? “The one who plants and the one who waters
are equal, and each will receive wages in proportion to his labour. For we are
God's co-workers.” 1 Corinthians 38-9
***
The background of today’s message to the Colossians is that
gnostical tendencies are creeping in, promising a superior human knowledge even
of divine mysteries. Hence the prayer of Paul that his Colossians may be filled
with the full knowledge of God’s will, with wisdom and understanding coming
from God’s Spirit.
***
"We pray" Paul writes: "We" means, I,
Silvanus, Timothy, Epaphras and all the brethren in Rome pray for the
Colossians who are in danger of falling into the Gnostic heresy. He uses their
words. The Gnostics desire "wisdom", "understanding" and
"knowledge" of their vague idea of God. He prays for the wisdom,
understanding and knowledge of God’s will. There is no irony in his use of
their words. He sincerely desires that they should not only desire to know the
will of God, but that they may have the strength to do God’s will. This is real
love: to understand the mind of others, take what is common and right and give
it a new direction which they cannot but agree to. They deplored the darkness
of a materialistic life and longed for the light. Paul wishes them the same and
reminds them that to be in the light is to be in real freedom, which implies
abhorrence of sin.
***
“To be in the deep end” has a few meanings. To be thrown into the deep end is to prompt or force one to begin doing something very complex and/or unfamiliar, especially suddenly and without guidance, assistance, or preparation. But positively speaking, if you throw someone in at the deep end, you make them learn how to do a job or task by starting with the most difficult parts. Or if you jump in at the deep end, it means that you choose to do this yourself. Sometimes you learn more by jumping in at the deep end.
In the gospel, Jesus told Peter to "put out into deep water and pay out the nets for a catch." Peter knew what the deep water was, but he had worked hard all night and caught nothing. Nonetheless, he did as Jesus told him to and with that, a miraculous catch of fish. For us, the deep end is often shrouded with darkness and fear. It is at the deep end that we feel insecure because of uncertainty and unfamiliarity, and we would avoid the deep end.
But should we find ourselves in the deep end, then the 1st
reading has this to tell us: God has taken us out of the power of darkness and
created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that He loves, and in Him, we
gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins. We will learn something when we
are at the deep end. Because Jesus is there at the deep end. And He will show
us miracles if we just listen to Him, as Peter did.
***
Simon Peter and his companions were amazed that an outsider
could tell them where to catch plenty of fish when they, fishermen by
profession, had been unsuccessful. This man with a striking message was indeed
extraordinary. They were caught in his spell and followed him. Later, they
would put out into deep water, that is, they would risk and dedicate their life
for Jesus and “catch people” to put them in the spell of Jesus’ message and
life.
***
Prayer
Holy God of our happiness, you entrust your good news of
life to weak and fallible people. Fill us with the strength of your Holy
Spirit, that we may be ready to speak your message with the language of our
life. Let Jesus your Son work with us and in us, that each of us may have the
courage to say: Here I am, Lord, send me as your messenger to share your glad
tidings of happiness with all who are willing to listen. We ask this through
Christ our Lord. Amen
***
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam
A man convinced of the inestimable worth of each human being, Frédéric served the poor of Paris well, and drew others into serving the poor of the world. Through the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, which he founded, his work continues to the present day.
Frédéric was the fifth of Jean and Marie Ozanam’s 14
children, one of only three to reach adulthood. As a teenager he began having
doubts about his religion. Reading and prayer did not seem to help, but long
walking discussions with Father Noirot of the Lyons College clarified matters a
great deal.
Frédéric wanted to study literature, although his father, a
doctor, wanted him to become a lawyer. Frédéric yielded to his father’s wishes
and in 1831, arrived in Paris to study law at the University of the Sorbonne.
When certain professors there mocked Catholic teachings in their lectures,
Frédéric defended the Church.
A discussion club which Frédéric organized sparked the
turning point in his life. In this club, Catholics, atheists, and agnostics
debated the issues of the day. Once, after Frédéric spoke about Christianity’s
role in civilization, a club member said: “Let us be frank, Mr. Ozanam; let us
also be very particular. What do you do besides talk to prove the faith you
claim is in you?”
Frédéric was stung by the question. He soon decided that his
words needed a grounding in action. He and a friend began visiting Paris
tenements and offering assistance as best they could. Soon a group dedicated to
helping individuals in need under the patronage of Saint Vincent de Paul formed
around Frédéric.
Feeling that the Catholic faith needed an excellent speaker
to explain its teachings, Frédéric convinced the Archbishop of Paris to appoint
Dominican Father Jean-Baptiste Lacordaire, the greatest preacher then in
France, to preach a Lenten series in Notre Dame Cathedral. It was well-attended
and became an annual tradition in Paris.
After Frédéric earned his law degree at the Sorbonne, he
taught law at the University of Lyons. He also earned a doctorate in
literature. Soon after marrying Amelie Soulacroix on June 23, 1841, he returned
to the Sorbonne to teach literature. A well-respected lecturer, Frédéric worked
to bring out the best in each student. Meanwhile, the Saint Vincent de Paul
Society was growing throughout Europe. Paris alone counted 25 conferences.
In 1846, Frédéric, Amelie, and their daughter Marie went to
Italy; there he hoped to restore his poor health. They returned the next year.
The revolution of 1848 left many Parisians in need of the services of the Saint
Vincent de Paul conferences. The unemployed numbered 275,000. The government
asked Frédéric and his co-workers to supervise the government aid to the poor.
Vincentians throughout Europe came to the aid of Paris.
Frédéric then started a newspaper, The New Era,
dedicated to securing justice for the poor and the working classes. Fellow
Catholics were often unhappy with what Frédéric wrote. Referring to the poor
man as “the nation’s priest,” Frédéric said that the hunger and sweat of the
poor formed a sacrifice that could redeem the people’s humanity.
In 1852, poor health again forced Frédéric to return to
Italy with his wife and daughter. He died on September 8, 1853. In his sermon
at Frédéric’s funeral, Fr. Lacordaire described his friend as “one of those
privileged creatures who came direct from the hand of God in whom God joins
tenderness to genius in order to enkindle the world.”
Frédéric was beatified in 1997. Since Frédéric wrote an
excellent book entitled Franciscan Poets of the Thirteenth Century, and
since his sense of the dignity of each poor person was so close to the thinking
of Saint Francis, it seemed appropriate to include him among Franciscan
“greats.”
