Friday offering from Fr Marcus 4th September 2020
Good Day My Friends,
I hope you are having a great one.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of celebrating the Eucharist at The Forum in L’Al Faz del Pi. We have a service there every Thursday. The Gospel reading was from Luke, telling the story of Jesus wanting to speak to the crowds by the lake. But there were so many people that he got in to Simon Peter’s boat, pushed it out a little way, and preached from there. I love that idea, folk flocking to hear this preacher telling stories out in the open, by the sea.
Anyway, they all listened, and when he was done he said to Simon Peter, push your boat out for a catch.‘Oh no! We have been out all night and caught nothing , but if you say so, I will give it a go.’And he did, and caught so many fish that it sank not one, but two boats!
While I was at university I got a job as a fisherman one summer holiday, and it was really hard work, and we didn’t catch many fish, but I like to think I understand the joy that Simon and his partners would have felt.
So, what happened? Did Jesus somehow call the fish to the shore, so that they could be scooped up in the nets, or did he manage to see a shoal of fish that the others had not spotted. We don’t know but three things happened.
Jesus saw things that Simon Peter didn’tSimon Peter made an effort, and was rewarded abundantlyHe was prepared to have a try even though he thought it was hopeless as he had been fishing all night and caught nothing.
There is much to learn from all of this, and for some reason I have the words of that carol by Carrie Underwood in my head ‘Do you see what I see?’, ‘Do you hear what I hear?’
We all know that we can see the same things, yet notice something very different. And every preacher knows that members of the congregation hear very different things from the same sermon.
Sometimes we hear what we want to hear, and see what we want to see, and the emotions and feelings that we are having at the time will have a bearing on all of that.
Maybe we see the best in a situation, or maybe we just notice the problems. I think it depends on how we are feeling.Even the scriptures contain images that don’t seem to fit with the Gospel story. If they don’t fit, then perhaps we are not seeing with eyes that have embraced the over all context.
Simon Peter couldn’t see the fish. He was tired, and had been trying all night. But Jesus could see them.
What I learn from this story is that the context of self, and current experience has a bearing on what we see is going on around us. Some folk may be seeking to do things differently from us, but our frustration may cause us to miss the point that we are all trying to build the kingdom of God, and have the best of intention at heart.
Jesus saw clearly, then Simon Peter made an effort, and literally brought on board that which he previously had thought was hopeless.
Let’s fix our eyes on the message of the gospel rather than our own worldly thoughts, and do something remarkable.
This is what I get Alexa to wake me up with. I can see clearly now, by the Hothouse Flowers. It is a great song with which to start the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1HRcoHGmi4

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.
As ever,
Fr Marcus