"Let Go Of Your Nets"

In the Gospel today, Jesus calls His apostles by telling them to put down their nets and follow Him. It is the beginning of a new kind of life for those Jesus has called.
              We use nets to bring things under our control. For the fisherman, he uses a net to bring the free fish of the sea into his control so he can eventually eat the fish he catches. Even though we might not fish for a living, we often cast out different kinds of  nets in an attempt to bring the world under our control.
Whenever we cast out a net, we are grasping for something in our world. We might be grasping for money, power, pleasure or fame. We hope that if we can get enough money, power, pleasure or fame in our net, then we will be happy. But no matter how much of the world we get into our net, we keep grasping for more. Beneath our grasping for the things of this world is the fear that, if we do not get what we want, we will be miserable.
Jesus says that we must put down our nets, trust in Him to provide for us, and no longer be afraid. When we let go of our nets, we let go of our need to control the world around us. We live a different kind of life. It is a life where we become children - children of God, who depend on their Father to provide, protect, and guide them. And by letting God Father us, we no longer try to put the world in our net. Instead, we can enjoy the world as something we receive from God.

God bless,
Fr. Scott