Homily on Luke 5:1-11, The Power of Encouragement

Praise be to Jesus Christ

Once, a man bought a piece of empty land. The soil was dry, the ground  was cracked and barren and practically nothing grew there. The man worked day and night, expecting some results from the barren land, and those who knew him asked, “Why do you waste your time and energy there?” Nevertheless, he did not give up and toiled on his land for days and days. Eventually he told his wife that he had decided to give up the land as he felt it was hopeless. His wife said to him,  “After all the hard work you have put in over many months; let us try for four more months. Then if the land does not produce, we will give up the land.” Inspired by his wife, the man continued his work.  Day by day he prepared the land, removed many stones, and from a long distance away managed to bring water and sprinkled it on the soil. Although initially nothing seemed to change as the months passed and the land remained barren, one morning a tiny green shoot appeared and over time a sweet, green field grew on hat was once dry, barren land. What once seemed hopeless and impossible was now full of life and abundant vegetation, with many plant varieties grew over the months. Through listening and accepting his wife’s encouragement not to give up, the man was rewarded with more than he could have hoped for.

In our own lives we often encounter similar circumstances and experiences. We face every day struggles, disappointments, distress, disaster and failures. Very often, we feel like giving up. In today’s Gospel we see a similar incident where Peter and his friends were on the brink of exhaustion, frustrated and ready to give up. Then, Jesus intervened and spoke to Peter and said, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Jesus’ words of encouragement prompted Peter to try again and he was rewarded with an abundant catch of fish.

Encouragement in life changes everything. One word of encouragement can give great strength to someone facing life’s daily hardships and challenges. When Jesus spoke to Peter, Jesus did not perform a miracle at that moment. Rather, he just gave Peter a word of encouragement, and that word inspired Peter and gave him the strength to try again. Once Peter was encouraged, he was then ready to obey and try again and the miracle followed. His net overflowed with fish and his heart with joy. This incident stuck Peter so much that his life was totally transformed.

In our societies, parishes, families, and communities, many feel just as Peter did, tired, discouraged, disappointed and ready to give up. A wife may be struggling with the heavy load of a family and may wonder if anyone notices and appreciates her hard work. A husband may face crucial financial problems and feel stressed and overwhelmed. A priest may be working hard in his parish but sees only a little fruit. A student might lose hope in his or her studies. In these situations, one word of encouragement which can come from anyone would make a difference. A kind and compassionate word from a spouse can restore love. An encouraging word from a friend can give us strength. A priest’s or religious words can rekindle faith.

In the Bible we see a God who had been a source of encouragement and who encouraged others when they were struck.  Look at Mosses, when he doubted his leadership capacity, God re-assured and encouraged him saying, “I will be with you.”  It is same with Joshua, when he faced the same situation of fear; God encouraged him saying, “Be strong and courageous”. The story of Elijah as not different, he was discouraged and troubled, God encouraged him speaking to him in a gentle whisper. St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, “Kind words could be short and easy to speak, but their effects are truly endless.”

It is a fact that many people around us, husband, wife, father, mother, members of our own family also wait for an encouraging words. We must ask ourselves, are we willing to become that voice of hope? Do we recognise that very often what our friends and dear ones are in need of is a simple word of support? Do we have time to understand and uplift our families, our parishioners and our friends?

Let us pray: Lord, help us to become source of encouragement for others through words of hope and strength. Amen.

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God Bless.