LUKE 5:1-11
I HARDLY NEW ANY DOCTORS
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. THERE WAS THE FAMILY DOCTOR WHOM I SAW NOW
AND THEN; MY FATHER HAD A FRIEND WHO WAS A SURGEON, AND I'D TALK WITH
HIM ONCE IN A WHILE. AND I HAD AN UNCLE WHO WAS A DOCTOR. BUT I
DON'T REMEMBER EVER TALKING TO ANY OF THEM ABOUT BECOMING A
PHYSICIAN; IN FACT DURING THAT PART OF MY LIFE I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT
IT MYSELF. IN COLLEGE I GRAVITATED TOWARDS MEDICINE BECAUSE IT
SEEMED TO ANSWER TWO THINGS I THOUGHT I NEEDED; THE OPPORTUNITY TO
LEARN AS MUCH AS I COULD ABOUT SOMETHING, IN THIS CASE HUMAN BEINGS;
AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOME GOOD IN MY CAREER. AND THERE WERE
OTHER THINGS – THE CERTAINTY OF A GOOD INCOME, THE RESPECT THAT
USED TO COME WITH THAT TITLE “DOCTOR”. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT I
DID NOT SAY I WANTED TO BECOME A DOCTOR BECAUSE I HAD MET A DOCTOR I
WANTED TO BE LIKE. THAT CAME LATER.
WHEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT
GOING INTO A SPECIALTY, I SPENT SOME TIME WITH A PHYSICIAN WHO
SPECIALIZED IN DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. HIS ELECTIVE WASN'T VERY
POPULAR, AND HE HIMSELF WASN'T A VERY IMPRESSIVE FIGURE. HE WAS
QUIET AND WHEN HE SPOKE TO YOU HE NEVER LOOKED YOU IN THE EYE. BUT
AS I GOT TO KNOW HIM, I LEARNED THAT HE WAS A VERY WEALTHY MAN – HE
HAD MARRIED THE DAUGHTER OF ONE OF THE TITANS OF INDUSTRY. HE
DONATED ALL HIS SALARY BACK TO THE MEDICAL SCHOOL. HE WAS DEEPLY
RELIGIOUS, AND AT ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY CHAPEL, I'D SEE HIM AT MASS
DURING THE WEEK. HE KNEW AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT ABOUT MEDICINE, BUT
ABOUT A LOT OF OTHER THINGS AS WELL. AND WHEN HE DEALT WITH A
PATIENT, OFTEN ONE WHO WAS DYING OF LEUKEMIA OR A LYMPHOMA, HIS
COMPASSION AND LOVE COULD ALMOST BE FELT. THAT WAS WHAT I WANTED,
THAT WAS THE PHYSICIAN I WANTED TO BE, AND THAT'S WHAT DREW ME INTO
THE SPECIALTY OF CANCER MEDICINE.
TODAY WE HEAR ABOUT THE
CALLING OF PETER, JAMES AND JOHN. THEY WERE CLEANING UP AFTER A LONG
FRUITLESS NIGHT OF FISHING. AND JESUS ASKED PETER TO PUT HIS BOAT
BACK IN THE WATER AND PUSH OUT SO HE COULD TEACH THE EAGER CROWDS.
PETER MUST HAVE BEEN PRETTY TIRED, BUT HE OBEYED. AND THEN JESUS
SAID, PUT OUT INTO THE DEEP AND CAST YOUR NETS. PETER KNEW YOU
DIDN'T CATCH MUCH IN THE DEEP PART OF THE LAKE; THE FISH FED ALONG
THE SHORES. AND YOU DIDN'T CATCH MUCH IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY; FISH
TENDED TO BE MOST ACTIVE IN THE EARLY MORNINGS AND LATE EVENINGS.
AND I'M PRETTY SURE PETER WASN'T EXCITED ABOUT GETTING HIS NET OUT
AGAIN; HE'D JUST HAVE TO CLEAN IT UP AGAIN. AND WHAT DID A CARPENTER
KNOW ABOUT FISHING? BUT PETER TRUSTED AND OBEYED JESUS FOR THE
SECOND TIME.
DURING JESUS' LIFE THERE
WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE AMAZED BY HIS MIRACLES, OR EVEN THE
SUBJECT OF THOSE MIRACLES. PERHAPS PETER WAS DIFFERENT; HIS REACTION
WAS NOT AMAZEMENT, IT WAS REMORSE – HE SUDDENLY REALIZED HE WAS IN
THE PRESENCE OF SOMETHING HOLY AND RECOGNIZED HIS OWN SINFUL NATURE.
NOW I DON'T THINK PETER WAS A SPECTACULAR SINNER. I SUSPECT IF YOU
HAD ASKED HIS NEIGHBORS, HE WAS SEEN AS ONE OF THE GOOD GUYS, WHO
WORKED HARD, WAS CHARITABLE, TOOK CARE OF HIS FAMILY, WAS
CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT HIS BUSINESS – BUT THEY SAY THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE
VERY CLOSE TO GOD ARE LIKE PETER; THEY RECOGNIZE THAT THEY ARE
SINNERS MUCH MORE SO THAN THE REST OF US.
JESUS INVITES PETER AND
JAMES AND JOHN TO A LIFE OF MISSION. THE FIRST REQUIREMENT WAS TO
NOT BE AFRAID. YOU CAN'T ABRUPTLY CHANGE YOUR LIFE IF YOU ARE BOGGED
DOWN BY FEAR. REMEMBER THE RICH YOUNG MAN? HE ALSO WAS GIVEN AN
INVITATION, AND TURNED IT DOWN BECAUSE, IT SAYS, “HE HAD MANY
POSESSIONS” AND UNDOUBTEDLY FEARED LOSING THEM. BUT PETER, JAMES
AND JOHN, AT JESUS' INVITATION, DROPPED EVERYTHING, LEFT THEIR
FAMILIAR AND PROBABLY COMFORTABLE LIVES, AND FOLLOWED JESUS WHO
PROMISED THAT THEY WOULD BE CATCHING MEN.
THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT
THIS STORY, THE MORE YOU WONDER. WHY DID THEY LEAVE EVERYTHING?
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THIS INVITATION THAT CHANGED THEIR WHOLE LIVES
AROUND?
I HAVE MY OWN THEORY. I
SUSPECT THIS WASN'T THE FIRST TIME PETER, JAMES AND JOHN HAD MET
JESUS. AFTER ALL, PETER CALLS HIM “MASTER”. NOT ONLY DID THEY
KNOW HIM, BUT THEY PROBABLY KNEW HIM WELL, AND HAD SEEN HIM PREACH TO
THE CROWDS AND HAD HEARD ABOUT HIS MIRACLES. THE MORE THEY HEARD,
THE MORE THEY SAW, THE MORE THEY WERE INTRIGUED, THE MORE THEY
ADMIRED HIM. SO WHEN JESUS TURNS TO THEM AND IN EFFECT OFFERS TO
TEACH THEM TO BE LIKE HIM, THEY ARE READY, BECAUSE THEY KNOW HIM AND
KNOW WHAT HE CAN DO.
THAT'S KIND OF THE LESSON
FOR US. OUR FAITH TELLS US THAT JESUS IS GOD AND MAN, THAT HE HAS
THE KEYS TO ETERNAL LIFE, THAT WHEN WE SEE HIM, WE SEE THE FATHER.
BUT WE ARE LIKE THAT GREAT CROWD ON THE SHORE OF THE LAKE – WE
RECOGNIZE HIS TEACHINGS AS SOUND AND GOOD, AND WE TRY TO FOLLOW THEM;
BUT MAYBE WE DON'T KNOW HIM AS WELL AS WE COULD; MAYBE WE DON'T KNOW
HIM WELL ENOUGH TO SAY, “I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM” BECAUSE WANTING
TO BE LIKE HIM IS A BIG COMMITMENT. YET THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT OF
BEING A DISCIPLE; TO BEGIN THE WORK OF CHANGING YOURSELF TO BECOME
LIKE JESUS.
WHEN WE MEET PETER AFTER
THE FIRST PENTECOST, HE'S GOTTEN THE POINT. HE IS TEACHING, HE IS
CURING THE SICK, HE EVEN RAISES A DEAD PERSON; HE'S BECOME LIKE
JESUS. WHEN WE MEET SAINT BENEDICT OR SAINT FRANCIS OR SAINT JOHN
PAUL II, OR FOR THAT MATTER ANY SAINT, BECAUSE THAT'S THE DEFINITION
OF A SAINT, WE SEE THAT THEY HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW JESUS VERY WELL, AND
CANNOT HELP BUT WANT TO BE LIKE HIM. SO THEY MAKE A FULL TIME
COMMITMENT TO BECOME LIKE HIM.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU AND I
NEED TO DO. WE NEED TO GET TO KNOW JESUS WELL ENOUGH TO WANT TO BE
LIKE HIM, AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, BE READY TO GIVE UP WHATEVER STANDS
IN OUR WAY AS WE ANSWER THE CALL OF HIS GRACE. THE THEOLOGIAN LEON
BLOY WROTE “THE ONLY REAL SADNESS, THE ONLY REAL FAILURE, THE ONLY
GREAT TRAGEDY IN LIFE, IS NOT TO BECOME A SAINT.” PETER, JAMES AND
JOHN RECOGNIZED THIS AND EVEN THOUGH THE ROAD WAS OFTEN ROCKY AND
THEY FAILED MANY TIMES, THEY BECAME HIS DISCIPLES. ARE YOU AND I
WHERE WE SHOULD BE IN BECOMING SAINTS?
