Do Not Be Afraid

September 4: Thursday of Week 22 of Ordinary Time, Year A-II:

1 Corinthians 3:18-23; Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Luke 5:1-11

What is Jesus saying to us as stewards of his kingship? (To support Reaching Jesus... Step Five).

Do Not Be Afraid

“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1).

Who are we working for? We are stewards of the kingship of Jesus Christ, Creator and Lord of heaven and earth. Paul writes, “Everything belongs to you… the world, life, death, the present, the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.” Our job as stewards is to make that fact the visible, experienced reality of life on planet earth.

We do it by the power of God. How else could we even dream of doing it?

The truth is, it is natural for people, ourselves included, to dream of doing it by human power. Some individuals have subjected most of their known world to their domination: e.g. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Kahn. Napoleon Bonaparte and Queen Victoria ruled over vast empires. The Church has outlasted them all. And Christ will reign forever. But not through human power.

“The wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God… So let no one boast about human beings.”

Jesus showed his vast power by helping some Galilean nobodies catch fish! Then he sent them out to draw—not force—the whole world into the Church. If at times the net seems to be full of holes and emptying, he says, “Put out into deep water.”

Think about that.

PRAY: “Lord, I believe in your power.”

PRACTICE: Don’t ask whether; ask how we can transform society.