Casting Their Nets into the Sea

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

Her husband Elkanah used to ask her: “Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you refuse to eat?  Why do you grieve?  Am I not more to you than ten sons?” 1 Samuel 1:8

How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me? The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.  Psalm 116:12-13

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen.  Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  Then they left their nets and followed him.  Mark 1:16-18

Piety

Prayer of St. Therese of Lisieux

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.  
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.  

Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

(Found in “Prayers for Discernment.”)

Study

In follow-up to the lessons on discernment from Saturday, the Great Question of the liturgical year gets asked and answered. 

The Great Question:  How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me?

The Great Answer:  Follow him in piety/thought, study/word, and action/deed.

There you have it.  On this first day of the first week of ordinary time, the secret of Christian living revealed.  Now if it was as easy to put into practice, we could dispense with the next 34 weeks…(and the next 34 years).

Hannah shows us an example of someone not satisfied with “all the good” she has been given.  To the taunting of her rival or her biological condition, she weeps year after year.  Hannah is not contented with the love of her husband and the extra food and gifts he bestows.  Simon and Andrew, on the other hand, embrace their present moment.  When the invitation is extended, they accept.  In accepting, they attempt to leave the comfort zone of their lives as fishermen behind.

Action

Our answer is probably not as swift or definitive as Simon and Andrew.  There is probably a lot of Hannah hemming and hawing in each of us.  We weeping for what we are asked to let go.  We try to hold on.  Just for a few minutes more.  Until we pay down the mortgage.  Until the retirement account gets a little fatter.  Until we finish that cruise planned for the fall.  Until we finish that project at work or that term paper at school.

How will you make this new season of ordinary time a season when you do not ask the Lord to wait a minute more of ordinary time for you?