Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for September 4, 2025
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
The YouTube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies on the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Sicily. Today in the gospel, we encountered Jesus on another sea, the Sea of Galilee or at the seashore. He had met Peter, Andrew, James, and John, and he wanted to call them to be his apostles, to be his fishers of men, and he was going to do it in a particular way. First, he asked Peter for a favor to borrow his boat as a pulpit so that he would be able to proclaim the gospel to the crowd that was crushing him. With the wind over his shoulder as a natural amplifier, he was able to teach them the many things and what would eventually become the beginning of the sermon on the plain. And after that, he turned to Peter and he said in thank you, “Put out into the deep and lower your nets for catch.” Peter was frustrated. He had worked all night and he hadn’t caught one single fish. He was ready to go home and crash. And what Jesus was saying was ridiculous. Fishermen in the Sea of Galilee caught fish at night in shallow water.
And Jesus was telling him to put out into deep water in broad daylight’s nets. It would have been as if a fisherman had said to a carpenter like Jesus, I want you to bang in the nail using the handle of the hammer rather than the head. It’s totally upside down. But Peter either to humor Jesus or with some faith just said, “But at your word, I will lower the nets.” He went out and he caught such a great catch of fish that his nets were about to tear. He came back on shore and overwhelmed by the miracle, he said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I’m a sinful man.” And Jesus, knowing Peter’s sense of unworthiness, just simply said to him, “Don’t be afraid. From now on, you will be catching men. You’ll be fishing for men and women.”
And that’s exactly what the church does. That’s what missionaries do. We continue the great fishing expedition, which is the Church, going to seas, putting out in deep water like we presently are in order to do the work for which Jesus created us. Sometimes we’re afraid. Sometimes we think that it’s not going to work. Just like Peter didn’t think catching in deep water during broad daylight would work. But at the Lord’s words, we put out into the deep. Today, we pray for Peter’s successor, Pope Leo. We pray for all missionaries that as we continue that great fishing expedition, we might catch so many that the Church’s nets will be at the breaking point. God bless you.
The Gospel reading on which the reflection was based was:
Gospel
While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he 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.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them.
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.