for September 3
Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

Paul begins today’s first reading by telling the Corinthians not to deceive themselves, something we know he thinks they often do with their beliefs and practices. Being wise in this age (we might say being wise in secular terms) he suggests needs to be replaced by being foolish in order to be really wise. Such is the wisdom of God as opposed to human wisdom, which he supports with quotes from the Book of Job and from a psalm. These suggest God knows our ruses, perhaps how we kid ourselves, and that our thoughts are often vain.

This leads to his specific criticism about boasting about humans, in particular about Paul himself, Apollos, and Cephas or Peter. The context is cliques within the community claiming one is more important than the other. Paul founded the community at Corinth, and he was succeeded by Apollos who was apparently considered more eloquent. It should be noted that Apollos was just as upset about this divisiveness as Paul. Since it is likely Peter never visited Corinth, his attraction may have been a tradition attributed to him about necessary Jewish practices.

Paul then concludes with a profound profession of faith, reminding them and us that everything is ours, including life and death and the present and the future, because we belong to Christ who belongs to the God who sent him. As the psalm refrain puts it: To the Lord belongs the earth and all that fills it.

The gospel begins with Jesus standing on the shore but the crowds pressing in on him as they recognize they are listening to the word of God. Jesus then gets into a boat moored close by and teaches the crowds while seated there. Afterwards he invites Peter the owner of the boat to put out and lower his nets. Peter says that while they caught nothing all night, he will do so. I wonder what Peter must have grasped while listening to Jesus. They then catch a great number of fish.

In astonishment at the catch of fish Peter falls on his knees, recognizing the presence of God in Jesus, and asks Jesus to depart from him, sinful man that he is, exactly what Jesus does not choose to do when in the presence of sinners as we all are. After telling Peter not to be afraid, which presumably suggests he was, Jesus invites Peter and the others to become catchers of people. In response they act immediately and decisively becoming the first followers of Jesus.

While we would probably not describe ourselves as literally having left everything to follow Jesus, all of us should rightly consider it our heritage to be apostolic in the sense of sharing in the mission of Christ. Here is what the document on the Apostolate of Lay People from the Second Vatican Council has to say: Christ, sent by the Father, is the source of the church’s whole apostolate; thus the fruitfulness of apostolate for ordained ministers as well as for lay people clearly depends on their vital union with Christ.
—Edward O’Donnell SJ

Today’s readings can be found on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website.