One
The Excessive Catch
One morning, Jesus finds a small group of fishermen who’ve been out fishing all night and caught nothing. Jesus gets into Peter’s boat and tells him to put out into the deep for a catch. “At your word, Lord, we will lower our nets,” Peter says. Then he catches such a massive haul of fish they can’t even bring it in. Immediately Peter falls to his knees and cries out, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
What made Peter fall down and beg Jesus to leave?
He felt unworthy because of his sins. The shame of his sin caused him to push God away. Have you ever pushed God away because you were ashamed of your life or sins?
Two
Satan’s Strategy
Satan’s strategy is to tempt us with the pleasure of sin and then accuse us once we have fallen.
Afterward, he says, “You are so stupid. You have wrecked everything. There is no way to repair this. Besides, you are not worthy of God’s love.”
Satan accuses, and we accept the lie, and we turn and run further and further from God because we don’t feel worthy.
Three
Arise
If shame makes Peter fall to his knees, what enables him to arise?
The excessive catch!
St. Elizabeth of the Trinity says Peter was dumbstruck by the excessive love of Jesus, manifested by the excessive catch of fish. The shame of his sin makes him fall. Experiencing the excessive love of Jesus enables him to rise! Mercy is the excessive, unconditional, healing love of Christ.
You don’t have to become worthy before you receive, because mercy is unconditional; there are no conditions. His mercy is always excessive! Always more than we deserve.
His Mercy is healing! His Mercy will transform us. Peter encounters the mercy of Christ through the excessive catch, and he rises.
Four
Mercy is Excessive
God’s love for us is always excessive.
At the end of the wedding feast in Cana, they ran out of wine. Jesus doesn’t ask, “So, how much do you need to get by?” No! He makes an excessive amount: 180 gallons, 900 bottles.
God only knows one way to give, excessively. This is why Jesus tells Peter, “Do not be afraid. This is who I am. Excessive love.”
Five
Resolution
So, what is our resolution?
Stop staring at your past failures. Start thinking about the excessive catch, the extravagant amount of wine, the unrestrained love Christ has for you. And let yourself be loved.