Our social interactions can be superficial at times.
“How’s it going?”
“Pretty good. You?”
“Doing well.”
“Great. Enjoy the day.”
Now, there’s nothing wrong with a short conversation like this, particularly if it’s all we have time for as we see an acquaintance in passing. However, in the technologically, fast-paced age that we’re living in, it’s tempting for us to be superficial in our conversations and relationships. We can all fall prey to living shallow lives, never really entering into the depth and beauty of life and friendship.
In this Sunday’s gospel Jesus commands the apostles, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” In this gospel we see Jesus take the initiative to enter into a friendship with Simon and the others. Jesus chooses to get into Simon’s boat. Simon reluctantly obeys because they’ve been working hard all night and have caught nothing. Yet, because he obeys their nets get filled.
What can we learn from this gospel? Our relationship with Jesus can be superficial, just as our relationships with others can be. We go to Mass and say our prayers, but our relationship with Christ can sometimes be limited to formalities: “Lord, bless me, bless my family, bring peace to our world…Amen.” While these short prayers are good, Jesus invites each of us, as he invited the first apostles, to “put out into deep water...” Simply put, Jesus wants to have a deep, abiding friendship with us, a friendship that goes beyond the superficial. He wants each one of us to know him intimately, not just know about him.
The mystery of Christ is inexhaustible. Our relationship with Jesus can never be deep enough. And so this gospel should challenge us to go deeper, to lower our nets for a catch; that is, to open our hearts to receive the graces that God wants to give us to be holy. How do we do this? Through deep prayer.
Our prayer must not simply be words that we speak; it must be about listening, contemplating, and abiding with Jesus. Two people who are in love do not always need to talk. They simply are content to be in each other’s presence. This is how it should be in our relationship with Jesus. We should be content simply to be in his presence: eyes closed, heart open, receiving his love and his grace.
When the apostles obeyed Jesus they caught a great number of fish. When we listen to Jesus and enter more deeply into our friendship with him he fills our lives.
Go deeper in your relationship with Jesus. Speak to him, heart to heart. Listen to him. Abide with him. Do not be content with superficiality in your relationship with Christ. Lower your nets, for when we lower our nets our hearts are filled.
Father Michael Najim is Spiritual Director of Our Lady of Providence Seminary, Providence, as well as Catholic Chaplain at LaSalle Academy, Providence.
