Gospel (Lk 5,1-11) - At that time, while the crowd was crowding around him to listen to the word of God, Jesus, standing near the lake of Gennesaret, saw two boats pulled up to the shore. The fishermen had gone down and were washing their nets. He got into a boat, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to move away from the land a little. He sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon: "Put out into the deep and cast your nets for a catch." Simon replied: «Master, we toiled all night and got nothing; but at your word I will let down the nets." They did so and caught a huge quantity of fish and their nets almost broke. Then they signaled to their companions on the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats until they almost sank. Seeing this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus' knees, saying: "Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinner." In fact, amazement had invaded him and all those who were with him, at the fishing they had done; so were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. Jesus said to Simon: «Do not be afraid; from now on you will be a fisher of men." And having pulled their boats ashore, they left everything and followed him.

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus has returned from the place where he had retreated to pray and now finds himself on the shores of Lake Tiberias surrounded by a crowd pressing from all sides, eager to listen to his teachings. Jesus no longer speaks only in the synagogue, he deems it appropriate - and not only for reasons of space - to communicate his Gospel outdoors, in the streets, in the squares, on the banks of the lake. And it is in the heart of this ministry among the crowds that Jesus also calls his first disciples, as if to underline the place and manner of the mission of the apostles of yesterday and today. The crowd is huge and Jesus, to avoid being crushed, asks Simon to get into his boat and move away a little from the shore. And from Peter's boat Jesus teaches the crowd. It is obviously not a random choice. The evangelist wants to underline the task of the Church and of every Christian community over the centuries: to propose, in communion with Peter, the teaching of Jesus to every generation so that he can listen and convert. Immediately afterwards, Jesus asks Simon to go out into the deep and cast his nets. Simone and the others who are with him listen perplexed. Simone points out: «Master, we worked hard all night and didn't get anything». However, having begun to trust Jesus, he immediately adds: "But at your word I will let down the nets." He was tired, he didn't understand everything, but he was certainly struck by Jesus' teaching. And he obeyed. Obedience does not imply having understood everything, what it requires in any case is trust, abandonment. The evangelist, in fact, notes that "they did so", and having obeyed they caught a large quantity of fish, to such an extent that it was necessary to call the others for help. Simon Peter - the evangelist adds the new name here, "Peter" - kneels before Jesus in the face of the miracle. It is the gesture that springs from amazement but above all from confident abandonment. The other three fishermen, Pietro's partners, are also amazed at what has happened. Jesus, turning to Simon, tells him that he will become a fisher of men. All four abandon the nets and begin to follow him. From that day the history of this singular fraternity that is the Church began. That boat is now offshore in the sea of history and plows the waters of the planet. And Jesus continues to call new arms so that the network of mercy widens and no one is left out.