In Luke's account of the call of Simon Peter, we find the evangelist presenting the event within the context of an experience of Jesus as Lord. It is Jesus experienced as Lord, the Holy One of God, who invades the boat of Simon, calls and associates him to his work. The Lord entered Simon's life by invading his boat, and from there, drew the fisherman to himself. Read the relevant article here and use the following as your reflection guide.
1. Simon Peter had an encounter with the Holy on his boat. It was so overpowering that from that moment on his life changed: he no longer fished for fish, but became a fisher of men.
Reflect: Can you see a moment in your life when an encounter with Lord so changed you that from that moment on, even the direction of your life changed? When was it? What was the event? How did it change you? Do you often go back to the memory of that day?
2. An encounter with the Holy -- writes Rudolf Otto ("The Sacred and the Profane") -- produces in one the ambivalent feeling of fear and attraction because the Holy is felt to be both "tremendum and fascinans". One is attracted, yet one is also repulsed by the encounter. Simon Peter tells the Lord to go away conscious of his sinfulness, yet he kneels there before the Lord in a gesture of submission. It is however the Lord who draws Simon Peter close to himself and gives him a new mission, associating him to his work.
Reflect: An experience of the Holy can repel us, but there is also the feeling of wanting to stay, of remaining where the Holy is. The "repulsion" may be occassioned by the feeling of unworthiness, of being "dirty" before the Holy One. Have you experienced this before? When and where? Did the experience also introduce you to the mercy of the Lord, as Simon Peter experienced it?
3. This next question is for those who are already working in some form of ministry to the Church (e.g. BEC, liturgical ministers, etc.):
An experience of the Lord, the Holy One of God, can be mediated through a successful activity -- a feeding program that reached its goals, a well-attended "Kumpisalang Bayan", or the growth of basic ecclesial communities. It is not management skills, nor financial resources, nor even "relevance" that brings about the success. It is the Lord whose voice is obeyed in any activity that gives yield and increase.
Reflect: How have you experienced the Lord in the activities you are engaged in?
