"One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.' 'Master, we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.' And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, 'Oh, Lord, please leave me – I’m such a sinful man.' For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were his partners, James and John … Jesus replied to Simon, 'Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people [literally 'catching people alive; catching them for life']!' And as soon as they landed, they left everything [including their greatest ever catch] and followed Jesus" (Lk 5:1-11).

I love this story. It reminds me of my mother who taught the "Beginners Class" in Sunday School for over 50 years. "I will make you fishers of men … if you follow me". Many of you will know this chorus well. But what struck me this time was the lavish loving-kindness, generosity, sensitivity, grace and respect that Jesus showed Simon. Jesus took the initiative in "commandeering" Simon's boat, and Simon was all too ready to oblige. Jesus must have known, with great joy, the super-abundant blessing he would soon be bestowing on him. Simon's "Master … But if you say so …" indicates the high esteem in which he held Jesus. Night time was fishing time; not the middle of the day. Yet Peter obeyed. And what blessing followed! Peter's response was that he felt totally underserving and was overcome by his sinfulness. Jesus hadn't said a word to him about his sin. The law and legalism are powerless in dealing with sin; only grace can do it. We can only master sin by the power of God's grace. "Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace" (Rm 6:14).

The response of Jesus to Peter's words is one of pure grace, unconditional love and acceptance. "Don't be afraid of your sinfulness or of my holiness." Sinful as Peter was, and as we all are, Jesus invited him – just as he invites us – to become one of his closest disciples. He recruited him to the glorious cause of the Gospel. And he did this with joy, enthusiasm, reassurance and positive encouragement, yet with his eyes wide open. That too is our call to discipleship. Jesus is for us, never against us; he is with us, never abandoning us; he is forever discipling us, never giving us over to immaturity; always encouraging us, never pointing the finger and disapproving of us.