Dear Friend,

Some may remember Pope John Paul II’s favorite scripture passage, which he cited often as an inspiration for all Catholics to follow:

After [Jesus] had finished speaking, he 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. (Luke 5:4-6)

It’s no exaggeration to say that there is a strong spiritual challenge in that brief passage. We get a glimpse of it when Peter, who was so astonished at the catch, fell at the feet of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” That is the only proper response to a miracle! 

Jesus told him: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men,” which, in essence, is the primary vocation of the papacy: to bring souls to heaven. 

But we all have vocations from the Lord. Our challenge is to be faithful to them, day in and day out, as if we were carrying out the very Will of God for our salvation, because we are. St. Paul tells us to “work out [our] salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12), which is another way of saying: “Remain faithful” in both the small as well as the large matters of our faith. 

“Putting out into deep water” is an act of trust. It means that sometimes the Lord asks us to do things in our faith journey that we would rather not do! Peter himself expressed reluctance at Jesus’ suggestion but ended up acceding to the Lord’s command. And look what happened!

Analogously, it’s easy to stay in the “shallow waters” of a spiritual life. We obey the Commandments, we faithfully fulfill our duties, we pray. All of that is fundamental and very good in itself, but it is only the minimum of obedience. The true challenge for all of us is nurturing our trust in the Lord’s Word and Will when He makes it clear to us. 

Even better, we grow in spirit when we ask the Lord what He wants of us in every circumstance. He is very capable of telling us! And when He does, like Peter, we must learn to cooperate with the grace He offers us. 

Thankfully, the Lord doesn’t usually allow us to remain in the shallow water of superficial faith. His way is not the easy way. He never said it would be. But His way is always the most spiritually fruitful way. And it is always the way to heaven.

Your friend in Christ,



Thomas McKenna

Founder and President

Catholic Action For Faith And Family
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