Collect Fifth Sunday Ordinary Time Year C

COLLECT SERIES

THE MASS: Collect Series Icon.

COLLECT

 

The Collect for Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time Year C reads as follows:

Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care,

that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace,

they may be defended always by your protection

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God, for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Spend some time in reflection on my life/ this last month/last week on the unfailing care of God. Acknowledge these times and spend time thanking God for them.

2. How do I rely on the hope of heavenly grace in my life?

3. What are the securities in my life I use rather than the hope of heavenly grace?

4. What areas in my life do I want and/or need protection from God?

5.  What does unfailing care mean to me in my relationship with God?

6.  When I attend Mass next Sunday, how will I have grown spiritually? (decide on an area to work on this coming week).

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION Luke 5:1-11:

Leave Me Lord I am a sinful man.

In this passage, we encounter Jesus calling Simon Peter and his companions to follow Him. The scene opens with the fishermen, having worked all night without catching anything, feeling exhausted and discouraged. But Jesus speaks to Simon, telling him to put out into the deep and let down the nets one more time. Despite their earlier frustration, Simon obeys, and they catch such a large number of fish that their nets begin to break.

This story is rich with lessons. Firstly, it shows the power of obedience. Simon’s initial hesitation turns into trust when he follows Jesus’ instructions, even when it doesn’t seem logical. It’s a reminder that we often struggle to see God’s plan in our circumstances, but when we trust and act on His guidance, amazing things can happen.

Jesus then calls Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will catch people.” In these words, Jesus is inviting Simon and his companions into a deeper mission. He calls them to a life of purpose beyond their daily work. Similarly, Jesus calls each of us to step beyond our comfort zones, to take risks in faith, and to share His love with others, even when it feels daunting.

Finally, Simon’s response is telling. He falls at Jesus’ knees, overwhelmed by his unworthiness, but Jesus does not reject him. Instead, He assures Simon that it is precisely in his weakness and humility that he will be made strong for the mission ahead. This teaches us that Jesus doesn’t call the perfect but those who are willing to surrender themselves to Him, trusting in His mercy and grace.

In this passage, we see the call to discipleship: to trust Jesus, to step into the unknown, and to follow Him with our whole hearts. Like Simon, we may have moments of doubt or fear, but if we allow ourselves to be led by Jesus, He will transform our weaknesses into strengths for His Kingdom. May we, too, be willing to follow Him, even when the journey seems uncertain.

Other Aspects to Note:

1. Jesus is teaching the crowd. This is like a collective approach- perhaps like a priest giving a homily at Mass.  There is a crowd but each person is listening and responding to their best ability.( hopefully).  Each person is filtering as well according to their circumstances. Have you ever heard a homily and thought ‘that was for me’.  I have from time to time and when that moment comes, I have so much gratitude because I know that God is providing for me with unfailing care at that moment.  Yes, He provides every day, every week but I am more receptive at that moment and the fire in my soul is recharged, relit and burns.

2. Jesus and Peter encounter:  When Peter realises the enormity of the miracle, he realises the enormity of this unworthiness.  Jesus does not want us to grovel but we do need to acknowledge with humility that God is God and we ourselves do not make things change.  It is God.  The more we acknowledge that God is the Creator, the Provider, the Lover of Me, and I am the created- whom God loves intensely, the easier it is as we are in right relationship.  When we think that we are in control, we make things happen, we do this, we set goals/dreams then our relationship with God is out of sync.  

3. Peter’s response:  Peter did not stop there stuck in his unworthiness but saw the need of other disciples and went and helped them.  We  too must look around and see the need of others and in love, help them.  We must ask Holy Spirit to open our eyes to see this need and the grace to help others in the way God wants.  In this way we can cooperate with God and be His channel of grace to others.  Remember we have countless opportunities to help others every day- it does not have to be a big action- a smile, a kind word, active listening to someone in need emotionally or spiritually, helping a colleague at work who is struggling with a task, doing the dishes, laying the table etc. The key is our own inner attitude- think of the love that God has shown me in my life and out of gratitude and love for God, choose to help others who are in need.  Do we help others because we have to or think we ought to or do we help others because God has given me so much that I want to pass it on to others.  Think of Peter’s response here.  He knew he was unworthy but he also knew that despite his humanity he still had to help others because God truly loved him. 

4. The response of Jesus- Jesus tells Peter of his mission : from now on it is not fish that you will catch but men’.  In other words, with the skills that Peter had as a fisherman he would use those skills to ‘catch people not fish’.

What mission is Jesus giving you?  What skills do you have that Jesus will use in a different way for the building up of the kingdom?   What is Jesus asking of me this year?