9781644135945

The Light of the World
did, chiefly on our own initiative and according to our own judgment and will; we decide for
ourselves what we are to do and how it is to be done. For this reason our labor is unfruitful.
Only if the Lord gives the word, directing us where, when, and how we are to cast out our
nets, and only if we can say with St. Peter, “At Thy word I will let down the net,” only then will
our efforts bear fruit. We are wanting in the spirit of faith and in a living consciousness of our
union with Christ and the necessity of making our will and our intentions depend entirely
on those of Christ. Therefore we must make the sorry confession: “Master, we have labored
all the night and have taken nothing.”
“But at Thy word I will let down the net.” Shall we be discouraged when we reflect on
our own weakness and ineffectiveness? We find the answer in the prayers of today’s Mass:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the protector of
my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Introit.) Christ is with us. In the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass He comes to us to strengthen us in our weakness, to aid us in our helplessness, and
to give efficacy to our petitions and our prayers. Having become our offering, He presents
Himself to the Father and begs for light and strength for us, that we may again pursue with
steadfastness the way of Christian perfection and salvation; He draws near to us in Holy
Communion. By this means He incorporates us in His own life. We know ourselves to be
filled with Christ, to be made one with Him, and with Him, the true vine, to be elevated
to the world of divine grace. We are the few drops of water that are added to the wine in
the chalice, the chalice of salvation. Why, then, should we fear? Every day He comes to us
with renewed love, offering Himself anew for us, giving us new graces in Mass and in Holy
Communion. Every moment of the day we can in spirit return to Him in His blessed tabernacle
and warm ourselves in the sun of the Holy Eucharist. Let us no longer consider our
own powerlessness, but rather His continual presence, His life and power operating in us.
“I am the vine and you the branches; he that abideth in Me and I in him, the same beareth
much fruit” ( Jn 15:5). He lives in us, He fights and conquers in us. “I can do all things in
Him who strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13). “The Lord is my firmament, and my refuge, and
my deliverer; my God is my helper” (Communion).
“At Thy word I will let down the net.” Whenever we seek to act by ourselves and depend on
ourselves, we invite and deserve failure. We thus cut ourselves off from the living vine, from
Him without whom we can do nothing. Therein lies the mystery of all failure and all defeat. He
who depends on himself is bound to fail. For this reason there is only one path for us to follow.
We must depend on Christ and on His grace; since we are branches, we must depend on the
strength imparted to the branches by the vine. “He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same
beareth much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” ( Jn 15:5).
In the Gospel we see how Peter’s failure was followed by success. He understood why he
failed; he had sought success relying on his own efforts. But then he acknowledges his error
and expresses his confidence in the Lord: “At Thy word I will let down the net.” As a result he
experiences a striking success. “They enclosed a very great multitude of fishes.”
Prayer
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that we may be reconciled to Thee; inform our wills so that they
may be submissive to Thee. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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