MARY, OUR MOTHER

SCRIPTURE COMMENTARY #143

And it came to pass, that when the multitudes pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Genesareth, And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets. And going into one of the ships that was Simon's, he desired him to draw back a little from the land. And sitting, he taught the multitudes out of the ship. Now when he had ceased to speak, he said to Simon: "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a draught." And Simon answering said to him: "Master, we have laboured all the night and have taken nothing: but at thy word I will let down the net." And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great multitude of fishes: and their net broke. (Luke 5:1-6)

THE OBJECT OF THIS MIRACLE which Jesus worked solely for Peter and the other disciples was twofold: 1. Like all the other miracles it was meant to increase and confirm the faith of the disciples; 2. it was meant to prepare the disciples, and especially St. Peter, for the apostolic office, which was typified by this miracle. Through it Jesus meant to say to His disciples: "Even as just now you put out to sea and cast in your nets, at my bidding, and captured this extraordinary draught, so in the future shall you fish for the souls of men in the sea of this world; and you will have as great a success in that office as you have had just now with your nets, and will bring thousands of souls into the kingdom of God, i. e. the Church." Thus the miraculous draught of fish typifies the apostolic work of the Church of Jesus Christ. The sea is the world; the fish are the men living in the world. The bark is the Church; the helmsman is Peter (and his successors). He steers the bark, and with the help of his companions (the Apostles, and after them the Bishops), casts his net by preaching the doctrine of Christ, and by holy Baptism receives into the Church those who will believe. Our Lord Jesus Christ is in the bark of Peter, i. e. in the holy Catholic Church, teaching men, and bringing them to salvation through her. The danger of sinking which threatened Peter's little ship, signifies that the Church will be beset by many perils and persecutions. The rent in the net, through which so many of the fish escaped, means that many souls will be lost to the Church by schism and heresy. The first "draught of fish" (i. e. of souls) which Peter made on the day of Pentecost, was an extraordinary one, 3000 being baptized. And after his second discourse, when he had cured the lame man, the number of those baptized amounted to 5000. The conversion of the world by ignorant fishermen is one of God's greatest miracles. To this very day the Pope, St. Peter's successor, keeps sending forth his fishermen into all parts of the world, in as much as he alone gives real power and jurisdiction to bishops, priests, and missionaries to teach the truth of Jesus Christ and to sanctify souls by His Sacraments.

[From 'A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture' by Bishop Knecht, D.D.]
(1899 Douay-Rheims Bible)