“After He had finished speaking, Jesus said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.' Simon said in reply, 'Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at Your command I will lower the nets.' When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing... When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.' For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him... Jesus said to Simon, 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.' When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him." (Luke 5: 4 - 11) St. Peter, the first Pope and the leader of the Apostles, is amazed and unnerved by the power of Christ. In astonishment he cries out to Jesus, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." But Jesus understands that Simon Peter is really offering a prayer: "Stay with me, Lord, for I am a sinful man... in need of Your help and mercy!" Each one of us should utter that prayer throughout our lives. Like St. Peter, we become aware of our sins and weaknesses, our faults and repeated failures, but also like Peter we need to realize that Christ is the answer, the one who lifts us up and enables us to do great things. Borrowing from the prayers for this Sunday's Mass, we have words that might well have been spoken by St. Peter: "Keep Your family safe, O Lord, with heavenly grace, that made one in Christ, we may joyfully bear fruit for the salvation of the world!" The key is to stay focused on Christ and united with Him in Holy Communion and prayer, so that with God's grace we may be transformed and produce the "good fruit" of the Kingdom. Like St. Peter, at times we can be overwhelmed by our sense of unworthiness or weakness, and like Peter, we call out to the Lord. As Pope Benedict XVI put it, "Throughout life, there are hours of darkness, hours of alarm at oneself... But there is also the dawning of the insight that Christ's power is greater than our helplessness, His mercy is greater than our failure..." So, like Peter, we "persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus." (Heb. 12: 1 - 2) This Jubilee Year of 2025 is a time for prayer and recommitment to Christ. Like St. Peter, let us focus on Jesus and pray: "Stay with me Lord, for I am a sinner and I need Your help and mercy!" Make sure to spread the word about St. Gabe's and know that you are always welcome here. God Bless!
- Fr. Francis P. Foley
Some Passages from Scripture and Quotes to Think About...
Hold Fast to the Gospel and Do Not Let God's Grace Be Ineffective! “I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve... Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective." - (1st Corinthians 15: 1 - 10)
A Prayer to Learn from Christ on the Cross O Lord, teach me by the example of Your sacrifice on the Cross. Grant that I may love like You, and lay down my wants and desires so as to serve those You have put in my life. Help me to forgive, inspired by what You said on the Cross to sinners like me, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Help me to be patient and hold my tongue rather than curse and swear at those who annoy me, like You who were silent when You were whipped and crowned with thorns. Help me to do what is right, true, and honest, even when I am tempted to sin or run away, remembering Your prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, "Father, not my will, but Thy will be done." Jesus, help me to live, day by day, so that when that day of judgement comes and I stand in Your presence, I may hear You say what You said to the Good Thief, "This day you shall be with me in Paradise!" I ask this of You, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen! (Inspired by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas, +1274) Prayer for the Game of Life DEAR GOD, help me be a good sport in the game of life. I don't ask for an easy place in the lineup. Put me anywhere you need me. I only ask that I can give you 100% of everything I have. If all the hard drives seem to come my way, I thank you for the compliment. Help me to remember that you never send a player more trouble than he can handle with your help… And help me, Lord, to accept the bad breaks as part of the game. May I always play on the square no matter what others do…Help me study…THE BOOK so I'll know the rules… Finally, God, if the natural turn of events goes against me and I am benched for sickness or old age, help me accept that as a part of the game, too. Keep me from whimpering that I was framed or that I got a raw deal. And when I finish the final inning, I ask for no laurels; all I want is to believe in my heart, I played as well as I could and that I didn't let you down. Amen. (Richard Cardinal Cushing, +1970)
Welcome to Our Spiritual Guidance Page. Weekly messages and prayers from our Pastor, Fr. Francis Foley, along with poetry and quotes from the saints, will be posted here!
Sunday Reflection with Fr. Foley
On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there...
The Epiphany
4th Sunday of Advent
Happy Thanksgiving 2024
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe