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July 8, 2003
Homily 06 July 2003
By Fr. Hathaway FSSP
Mater Dei Latin Mass Community

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
On the Gospel“

And sitting down, He began to teach the crowds from the boat.”

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What did Christ preach to the crowds while sitting in that boat?  We don’t know.  Indeed, today’s Gospel teaches us not so much by what was said but more by the event itself.  After locating the passage in the life of our Lord, we will present it in light of commentaries by the Church Fathers.

First, we must notice this passage comes right at the beginning of our Lord’s public life.  Christ, after enduring His fast and temptation, arrives at Nazareth, “where He was brought up.”  One Sabbath day, He enters the synagogue, “as was His custom,” and reads the scroll from the prophet Isaiah (61:1-ff): “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. Wherefore He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, Hhe hath sent me to heal the contrite of heart.  To preach deliverance to the captives and sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,...”  He then preaches, “This day is fulfilled the scripture in your ears.” He tells the synagogue attendees that no prophet is accepted in his own country.  He reminds them how Elias and Eliseus left Israel to work wonders for foreigners which enrages the synagogue members, “...hearing these things the synagogue was filled with anger.”    They rise up and thrust our Lord out of the city and bring Him to the brow of the hill where the city was built.  They desire to cast Him down but “passing through the midst of them, He went His way.”  Rejected by His hometown, Christ goes to Capharnaum where He sets up the headquarters of His three year mission.  Next, He needs disciples.  This brings Him to Lake Genesareth of today’s Gospel.

Our Lord is at Lake Genesareth, pressed by the crowds eager to hear the word of God.  He sees two boats moored by the lake, but the fishermen have left them and are washing their nets.  He gets into one of the boats, the one that is Simon’s, and beseeches him to put out a little from the land.  He sits down in this boat and from this pulpit teaches the crowds.
Ven. Bede tells us Lake Genesareth is the same lake as the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.  The Sea of Galilee refers to the province; the Sea of Tiberias refers to a local city; the Lake of Genesareth refers to the nature of the lake itself.  “Genesareth” is a Greek expression meaning, ‘to make a breeze for itself’.  The water of this lake is constantly moved by the breezes blowing over it.  In the Hebrew language all large bodies of water, whether fresh or salty, are called a sea; the Greek language makes a distinction.

Ven. Bede continues, “the two ships mystically signify the two dispensations: Circumcision and Uncircumcision.  The fishermen are the Teachers of the Church, who catch us in the net of faith, and as it were bring us to the shore: to the land of the living.  The ship of Simon is the primitive Church of which St. Paul says, “He wrought in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:8).

Concerning the two boats, St. Ambrose says, “He chose the barque of Peter, and deserted that of Moses; that is, He rejected the faithless Synagogue, and adopts the believing Church”; by preaching from the boat, as St. John Chrysostom says, our Lord lets it be known that “He is fishing for those on the land.”

Again, there are two boats yet only one owner is named, Simon Peter... as if the other is of no consequence.  Our Lord enters this boat and asks Simon Peter to set out a little from the land and sits down to teach to illustrate that the teaching authority of Christ, the chair of Christ, is found only in the boat (Church) of Peter.

 Having filled the crowds with divine knowledge, our Lord stops teaching and says to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and lower your nets (retia vestra)  for a catch.”  Simon answers, “Master, the whole night through we have labored and caught nothing; but at Thy word I will lower (laxabo rete) the net.”  Simon lowers the net and so large is the catch their net is breaking and the other boat is summoned to help but even then both boats are near to sinking.

Notice, our Lord asks, “lower your nets,” but it is Peter alone who lowers “the net” - a detail which points to the unbelief among Simon’s associates.  Moreover, when Simon, the seasoned fisherman, answers “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing” this is recorded, as St. Ambrose affirms, so that we might know the truth of the miracle.  The large catch was not due to human skill but to the hand of God.  Nor does Simon say, “it is useless” but rather with all manner of human reason against it, he lowers the net.  St. Cyril tells us this event prefigures the future: “they shall not labor in vain who obey Christ.”

The catch is so large that the net begins to break; and another boat is summoned and filled with the catch.  St. Augustine tells us,  “The nets break and ships are full to indicate the great number of carnal men in the Church so that it would be torn by disruption of her peace through heresies and schisms; Ven. Bede says, “The nets break but fish do not escape for the Lord preserves His own amid trials of persecution.”  

By the other boat filled with Simon’s catch we may well understand, says St. Ambrose, “another church, since from one church many others are founded.”    Ven. Bede adds that the filling of these ships (churches) will go on till the end of the world.

Next, Simon sees the miracle and falls down to Jesus’ knees and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”  Jesus responds, “Do not be afraid; henceforth thou shalt catch men.”  Simon and his associates dock their boats, leave all things, and follow Him.

Truly surprised by the catch, Simon becomes fearful of Whom  he is near; the miracle proves Simon is near a holy man of God. Like St. Joseph before him, Simon desires to excuse himself as unworthy to be in Christ’s presence.  “Stained as he is,” St. Cyril says, “he cannot endure the Pure.”   St. Ambrose recommends saying, “Depart from me, O Lord,  for I am a sinful man” if only to hear the Savior reply, “Fear not; the Lord is forgiving to those who confess their sins.”

Lastly, “Thou shalt catch men” immediately pertains to Simon; as he now takes fish by the net so shall he take men by the word. 
In today’s Gospel, the crowds press Jesus to hear the word of God.  What was said?  We don’t know.  But if we read the events we will find instruction.  Christ teaches us His “word” not only by speaking but by events themselves.  Today’s Gospel teaches us that His word is heard from the ship of Peter, the Catholic Church, which drifts upon this earthly Sea of Waves (Genesareth).  Within this ship, Christ has placed His seat of teaching authority; within this ship He orders Simon to lower the net of faith.  And although this net may come close to breaking, it does not break nor is a fish lost.  And although Simon’s boat, and the other filled with Simon’s catch, become so full as to begin to sink, neither sinks.  So it will be through the life of the Church until the end of the world.  The Church will continue hauling in her catch, her faith seeming to break but forever holding firm; her structure forever appearing to sink, but never to be sunk. 


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