Thursday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
Put Out into the Deep
Liturgical Cycle: C | Lectionary Cycle: I
Introduction
The background of today’s message to the Colossians is that gnostical tendencies are creeping in, promising a superior human knowledge even of divine mysteries. Hence the prayer of Paul that his Colossians may be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will, with wisdom and understanding coming from God’s Spirit.
Simon Peter and his companions were amazed that an outsider could tell them where to catch plenty of fish when they, fishermen by profession, had been unsuccessful. This man with a striking message was indeed extraordinary. They were caught in his spell and followed him. Later, they would put out into deep water, that is, they would risk and dedicate their life for Jesus and “catch people” to put them in the spell of Jesus’ message and life.
Opening Prayer
Holy God of our happiness,
you entrust your good news of life
to weak and fallible people.
Fill us with the strength of your Holy Spirit,
that we may be ready to speak your message
with the language of our life.
Let Jesus your Son work with us and in us,
that each of us may have the courage to say:
Here I am, Lord, send me as your messenger
to share your glad tidings of happiness
with all who are willing to listen.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
First Reading
Prayer for the Colossians
Because of this, since we heard about you, we have not stopped praying to God for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and spiritual understanding he gives.
May your lifestyle be worthy of the Lord and entirely pleasing to him. May you bear fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God.
May you become strong in everything through sharing in the glory of God, so that you may have great endurance and persevere with joy,
giving thanks to the Father, who has empowered us to receive our portion in the inheritance of the saints in light.
He rescued us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son.
In him, we are redeemed and forgiven.
Responsorial Psalm
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.
R. The Lord has made known his salvation.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come after me, says the Lord,
and I will make you fishers of men.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
When he finished speaking, he
Simon replied:
But if you say so, I will lower the nets.”
They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help. They came and filled both boats almost to the point of sinking.
Upon seeing this, Simon Peter fell to his knees before Jesus, saying:
“Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
And so were Simon’s partners, James and John, Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus said to Simon:
“Do not be afraid. You will catch people from now on.”
So they brought their boats to land and followed him, leaving everything.
Prayers of the Faithful
– Lord, attract people to you by opening their eyes and hearts to the beauty of your message of good news, we pray:
– Lord, attract people to you by your inspiring, loving personality, we pray:
– Lord, let your Church with all its communities attract people to you by serving them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in these signs of bread and wine
we celebrate the central event
that sums up our faith
and gives meaning to what we are and do:
the death and resurrection of your Son.
Purify our lips and hearts with his body and blood
and send us to proclaim with our lives
that Jesus is our living Lord
and that you are our Father,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
in your love you have called each of us
to a task in life and a place in your plan
which no one can fulfill for us;
you have chosen your Church, that is us,
to be the irreplaceable sign and witness
of the death and resurrection of your Son.
Make each and all of us
capable of our mission
and send us out into the deep
by the strength of the body and blood
of our unique Savior,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
The Lord entrusts to you his word and his body. Go now, speak his word and be his body to the world. May the Lord bless you, that you may be a blessing to all, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection
4 September 2025
Luke 5: 1-11
Put out into the Deep - Youtube
The Sea of Galilee, also called the Lake of Gennesaret, was the place where Jesus began a new chapter in his mission. No longer confined to the synagogue, he went to the lakeside, to the roads, to the places where ordinary people worked and struggled. His pulpit became a boat, his listeners the crowds hungry for the Word of God.
It was there that the tired fishermen, who had laboured all night and caught nothing, encountered Jesus. He asked them to go back out, to let down their nets again. And there, against all odds, came the great catch of fish.
This story reveals the conditions for every miracle. First, the eyes that truly see. Jesus noticed what others overlooked. Where people saw only empty waters, he perceived abundance. Faith sharpens our sight, helping us discover God’s presence where despair tells us nothing is possible.
Second, the willingness to try again. How many of us stop just one step short of grace because we are weary, discouraged, or afraid of failure? Peter obeyed, even when it seemed pointless. And in that obedience, the nets were filled.
Third, the courage to act when circumstances seem hopeless. Faith is not waiting for the perfect conditions. Faith means trusting the word of Jesus even when everything tells us it won’t work.
Peter’s first reaction was humility: “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But Jesus does not leave; he calls. “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.”
The miracle of the catch is really the miracle of vocation. Jesus calls each of us to trust, to follow, and to discover that with him, even empty nets can overflow with life.