THE MERCY OF JESUS

Whenever I make a spiritual retreat, I begin by reflecting on Luke 5:1-11. The passage describes Jesus teaching the crowd while standing on the shore of a lake. The crowd is pressing in to hear the Word of God, so Jesus elects to get into a boat belonging to a fisherman, Simon Peter, and asks Peter to move the boat a bit into the water. Peter does so, and Jesus now has a natural "amphitheater" which amplifies his voice so more of the people can hear the Word of God.

You can picture Simon Peter, sitting in the boat, listening to Jesus. After some time, Jesus wraps up his ser­mon, and says to Peter: "set out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Peter expressed his frustration: "We have been fishing all night and caught nothing" and then agrees "but at your word, we will lower the nets". After dropping the nets into the water, so many fish are caught that the boat begins to sink.

Peter is unsettled by the miraculous catch of so many fish. He kneels down at the feet of Jesus declaring: "Leave me Lord, for I am a sinful man." Peter, in the presence of the divine, is suddenly and intensely aware of his sin-history. Jesus, the Eternal Word, is well aware of Peter's past; yet Jesus can also envision Peter's future, the saint that Peter can become with the help of Jesus. So the Lord declares: "Do not be afraid; from now on, you will be catching men."

When Jesus first stepped into Peter's boat that day by the lake, he wanted to amplify his voice so that many people could hear the word of God for a day. Now to ensure that his voice will be amplified and the Word of God will be heard for all generations, Jesus summons these humble fishermen to follow him and live as his disciples.

Fast forward then to the Last Supper, when we read in John's gospel (John 13:1-15) that Jesus rose from the meal, wrapped an apron around himself and knelt down to wash the feet of his apostles. Simon Peter protested, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well. "

What is happening here? I think that Jesus is trying to help Peter and the others move from their sin-history into a life of grace, but they have to first yield and allow Jesus to wash their feet with water, and then on Good Friday to wash away their sins in his blood shed on the cross.

Last year, Bishop Alberto Rojas joined us at the parish for the Mass on Holy Thursday and had a profound insight: Jesus is willing to wash our feet many times. When we think about it, how good Jesus is that he is willing to wash us in his blood and forgive us not only once but many times. It is very difficult right now for many people that we cannot come to church freely for Mass and receive the Holy Eucharist. It is not easy for us when we cannot experience the mercy of the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at time when we are yearning for forgiveness. If these days of solitude and silence lead us inward to a deeper aware­ness of our sins, may we more intensely desire to be washed in the redeeming blood of Christ:
"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."

-Father Mike McGovern
Pastor