We don't want to be told what to do. We have been taught that it is only right and just to do as we wish. There has been an attempt to lower religion to simply making people feel good about themselves. We believe that Heaven is real and we say that we desire to get there, but are we really brave enough to trust in order that we may find ourself there. In our Gospel people were going about the busyness of their everyday life. They knew that the ultimate goal was to catch an abundance of fish, but they were unable to accomplish this goal through their own merit. We must remember that it took not only the presence of Christ for them to catch abundantly, but it also took them bravery to trust in His words and thus to carry out what He requested.
We must allow Christ to be the one who instructs us to where we are to cast out our net. The possibilities for us are of course abundant, but despite this abundance we must remember that it is Christ alone who is the one who is to lead us. We know in our heart that our true goal on this earth is to make it into the Kingdom of Heaven, but if we cast out our nets into the abundance of waters without Christ we will never obtain our true heart's desire. The voice of Christ alone and thus that which He has extended to us through the gift of the Church is the only way where we will be guided along the way in order that we may not be left without hope, but instead may catch abundantly.
Our materialism, sensuality, excessive love for comfort, and ignorance are all places towards which we often cast out our nets. In the end none of these produce an abundant catch for us, but instead they always leave us trapped in continuing to cast out our net over and over again without ever catching a thing. We must come to learn from our past mistakes and thus in return come to understand that it is Christ alone who is the one who can truly fulfill us. With Christ at work within our life we come to cast out our nets and what we receive in return comes in abundance. What we receive from this catch is not shame nor despair, but instead we come to encounter the meaning of the true love for which our heart was always longing. Do not take the easy route and cast your net wherever you may please, but instead be brave and cast out your net in accordance with Christ's will.
Today we celebrate what is Father's Day. The role of the father within the family is a very important role. Surely a father desires to emulate Saint Joseph who is the most chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He did not simply walk around lost and trying to catch abundantly, but he always should his concern that the net was thrown into the proper spot. He was given a special role over marriage and even over God. He protected his spouse and always respected her as a woman. He protected the Son of God who was placed under his fatherly care and helped to raise Him into adulthood. A father should desire to assist his family in casting the net in accordance with God's will. This is the path that Saint Joseph points out to all fathers on this Father's Day.
Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ: May we desire not to come up empty handed, but instead may we catch abundantly. Many options exist within this world to where we may cast our net, but these many options can be against the will of Christ. Christ does not want us to know despair, but instead He wants us to know that through his mercy we can be healed. Through the mercy of Christ we can catch abundantly. May all of us draw close Christ this day and may we never allow ourself to be placed before His will.
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