This memory of Margarett, who went to the Lord about a year ago, came back to me when I reflected on Sunday’s gospel. Jesus said to Simon, “Duc in altum,” that is, “Put out into the deep.” After having spent the night fishing without catching anything, Jesus commands Simon to do something that made little sense to this experienced fisherman. In response to our Lord, Simon says, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." And by the power of God, they caught a great number of fish.
What might be some of the “Let down your net” moments in your life? When has your logical mind prevented you from experiencing the Lord’s tremendous grace? Imagine what Simon was thinking. Most likely he was tired and exhausted, and probably frustrated, after having spent the night fishing and catching nothing, only to have a carpenter instruct him to go back out into the deep and lower the nets one more time? And then, to not simply catch a few fish, but so many that the boat was in danger of sinking! To do what God asks because it is God who asks is a “Let down your net” moment.
Where is God asking you to “put out into the deep,” to suspend logic and trust in him, to do what might not make sense, but at his word, like Simon, act on his bidding and “lower your nets?” Often what keeps us from receiving God’s amazing providence is our “cerebral hesitation.” Call it pride, or perhaps arrogance, or stubborn logic, but Simon could have argued further with Jesus and not “put out into the deep” or refused to “lower the nets.” Peter could have asked Jesus to explain just how Jesus, a carpenter, had learned so much about fishing. Instead, he followed through. He acted on the word of the Lord. He gave in to the wisdom of the Master and was astonished at what happened.
It is often the case that when we are most upset, frustrated, angry and disappointed that we should listen for a “Lower the nets” invitation from the Lord. We should train ourselves to recall this gospel story whenever things don’t make sense, or whenever we can’t make things happen the way we had hoped they would go. Consider how the Lord might be inviting you to surrender, to let go, and say, “At thy word, I let down my net!” Get ready to be amazed and notice how many times you are surprised by the Lord when you “give in” like Simon and “let down your net.”
I have often reflected in this weekly email post about the “sin of self-reliance.” But if there is one thing Jesus is constantly teaching us, it is to depend on God. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (John 5: 19) So when in our hearts we have this sense that we’re trying too hard at something and not getting anywhere, perhaps it’s time to “put out into the deep” and “lower our nets” of self-reliance, so that our Lord might astonish us at how “over-the-top” he wants to provide for us.
So, when your “nets are empty,” when you have worked hard at something with little results, it might be the time to “put out into the deep” and ask the Lord for the grace to trust him with the matter. To put out into the deep with our Lord means “to ask for help.” It means accepting his approach to things, humbling ourselves when our attempts have failed and asking the Lord to astonish us by his grace and favor. In this way, it is our faith that provides what we need. It is our faith that saves us.
Like Simon, we sometimes work hard with limited results (like getting merely a drop of olive oil out of a thousand olives). We get frustrated, become disappointed, irritable and even angry. It is in those very moments when we DON’T want someone else to tell us what to do that we should listen carefully, to perhaps hear the gentle voice of Jesus asking, “Can I help you with that?” If that thought crosses your mind, or the hope of his divine power enters your heart, by all means embrace it! Simply say, “At your word, Lord, I let down my net.” Repeat those words over and over again and let them be like an antacid that dissolves the anger and soothes the discouragement. He will do the rest.
Throughout our lives the Lord is inviting us to “Put out into the deep,” that is, to bring to him what troubles us and allow him to direct our actions on the matter. This, too, is a matter of faith. Yet this is the very way in which our Lord won over Simon’s heart and enabled him to leave all behind and follow him first as a disciple and then as an apostle. Let us not be afraid of the “let down your net” moments in our lives.
