We Are Fishers Of Men

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

February 10, 2025

in Spritual Growth

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February 9, 2025:
Readings: Judges 6:11-24a
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11

5th Sunday of Epiphany 2025 Homily

When we read the Scriptures, we treat what we read as stories. But more than just stories, God desires us to live out His principles in our lives. In the Old Testament today as we read about Gideon, we see that the angel of the Lord had come to speak with Gideon who was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the enemies. The angel said. “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.”

But Gideon could not believe his ears as he sees the situation that Israel was facing now because the enemies had taken over. The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving no one alive.”

Then Gideon asked for a sign. and told him not to leave until he brings an offering to him. And so
Gideon prepared a young goat and he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.

The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

Today, God is speaking to us. He may not appear in physical form because He lives in us. We need to listen to His voice. When He gives us a task, He also gives us the ability to fulfill it. During the time of Gideon, the people came to a point where they were worshipping other gods. So much so that the enemies of Israel took over and treated them cruelly. When Gideon was in hiding, this was the time the Angel of the Lord appeared to him. Gideon, being insecure and being told he was a valiant warrior was not confident enough to be called as such. He saw his own weaknesses. But the Angel of the Lord assured him, “go in the strength of God and save Israel.” Eventually, Gideon believed in the Word of God that he would be able to deliver, and so he defeated the enemy.

In the New Testament, we see Peter trying to catch fish all night but was in vain. He was exhausted when he reached the shore and when he saw Jesus. Jesus tells him he wants to use the boat to teach the people. After teaching, He tells Peter to cast down his nets to catch fish. Peter was tired but still followed His instructions. When he did, there was so much fish that the nets started to break, and he had to call the others to help him haul the nets. This speaks to us of God’s grace. We need to listen to what God is telling us today. “Even if you die, you live.” The necessity of realizing that God is with us. We spend too much time taking care of our flesh when we should be more concerned with our spirituality. Both Peter and Paul had said that they were not worthy. We also think that way many times. But we need to have the confidence. We should ask God to open our hearts to understand the things of God. We need to be thankful, instead of complaining. Let us open our eyes and awaken to the truth and be what God wants us to be.