In the readings this Sunday, the spiritual dynamic seems to be threefold: God draws near; sensing our own unworthiness, we protest; grace overcomes our weaknesses, failings, and fear, resulting in abundance far beyond our imagining.

Make a list of all the truly good people you have known. Don’t be shy: Put yourself on the list if you think you have the moral fiber to be there. My list would certainly include my maternal grandmother, the model of every generous impulse I’ve ever had; a loving teacher in high school who took a special interest in me and other struggling students; a friend I made in seminary who didn’t have a prejudiced bone in his body; and my young niece, who is the most compassionate little soul on the planet.

Once when Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon’s and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.

My grandparents liked to fish. They were both from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. My grandma was born on a Native American reservation. My grandpa was born in a lumberjack camp. Growing up, their families fished—and hunted—for survival. But as adults, the two of them continued to do it for fun.

The call of God in our lives is at once a call to the most profound and to the most practical. Though the invitation of God is to give our whole selves, the manner of our response is typically focused on small, specific actions—right where we live. To what in my life do I need to say, “Here I am, Lord”?

“Trust me, the right job is going to come along,” his daughter Terry assured him. John was having his doubts. He had retired from full-time work but after several years found he couldn’t make it on his pension.

A popular television show a few years back featured ordinary people who have decided that their physical appearance was so lacking it was negatively affecting their entire life. So they left their family and friends and jobs for a number of months.

As we celebrate the saving mysteries of your faith, we ask God to strengthen and heal us.

Today we still cast the net. And Christ fills it. And Christ calls to conversion [those] who are found “in the depths of the sea,” as the psalm has it (Ps. 69:15), that is to say, among the waves and tempests of the world.