Catch as catch can

Sermon for the fifth Sunday after Trinity

You notice two multitudes 

gathering around Jesus.

The first multitude

are the crowds gathered 

around Lake Gennesaret

eager to hear

the Word of God.

The second 

is the multitude

of fish caught in the nets

of Simon and his crew

and which nearly sink the boat.

Two multitudes to be caught.

This rather raises the question

what is it like

to be caught

by a fisher of men?

[PAUSE]

You would hope

that Our Lord doesn't mean

that we suffer the same fate

as the fish when we are caught 

by a fisher of men.

Indeed,

Our Lord doesn't mean 

that we are to be prepared

for the fish mongers.

We are not going to be

killed or eaten 

and Our Lord's words

in Greek really bring that out.

When Our Lord says "catch"

the Greek text really does say

"catch alive".

He is expecting 

that men who have been fished

to remain alive.

Indeed St Paul uses the same word

in his second letter to St Timothy

to describe those servants of God

who have been caught

in the snare of the Devil.

He reminds Timothy

that they are still alive 

and can recover themselves 

out of the snare of the Devil

through repentance to the acknowledgement of the Truth.

This shows us

the power of our Baptism.

The snares of the Devil

catch us alive and we still have

the means of escape

through repentance 

and seeking the Truth.

This is why the saints

are important 

as fishers of men.

Our Lord means

for those caught 

by Simon Peter and

the other disciples

to be caught up

to life.

The fish,

of course will die

when taken out

of the water.

But when we are caught up

we are drawn up 

through the waters of Baptism

through Death

and into Life.

[PAUSE]

But we must beware.

We can still perish

in the snares of the Devil

who is seeking to devour us.

His capture leads to death

and Our Lord's to life.

St Paul tells us

that we will be caught up

to God 

and that this is our salvation.

In being caught

we are rescued from the current

generated by sinful pleasures,

the wiles of Satan

and the ravages of Time.

This capture is a rescue

for us in the helplessnes

of our sins.

[PAUSE]

We are being saved

and we await being caught

with baited breath.