Put Out Into Deep Water
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January 30, 2026“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:4)
This verse comes from the Gospel of Luke, written around 80–90 AD to a primarily Gentile Christian audience. In this scene, Jesus, standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, calls Simon Peter to trust Him and cast his nets again after a night of fruitless labor. The request seems illogical- fishermen knew the best time to fish was at night. But Peter responds in faith, and the result is an overwhelming catch. The passage illustrates a key theme in Luke’s Gospel: God’s power is revealed through trust and obedience, especially among the humble and faithful.
For the early Christian community, struggling with persecution and marginalization, this story was more than a fishing tale; it was a promise. When the Church obeys the Lord, even in times of discouragement or uncertainty, God provides. The “deep water” represents both risk and abundance: faith means letting go of human calculations and stepping into the unknown.
At the dawn of the new millennium, Pope John Paul II invoked this verse in his apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, calling the Church to a “new evangelization.” To “put out into the deep” (duc in altum) was a summons to mission- not only to those who had never heard the Gospel, but also to those who had drifted from the faith. The Pope envisioned a Church that moves beyond maintenance toward mission: not retreating from a secularizing world, but confidently proclaiming Christ with renewed ardor, creativity, and conviction.
Here in the Diocese of Portland, that vision took shape through the pastoral plan Telling Anew the Story of Jesus, which led to the clustering of parishes and the formation of St. Michael Parish. Over the past 20 years, our six church communities have navigated the deep waters of structural change and demographic shifts. Recent staffing transitions offer a moment to pause and reflect: What is working? What isn’t? How do we as a parish remain focused on evangelization in today’s world?
This Sunday’s readings invite us deeper into that reflection. Zephaniah speaks of a “humble and lowly” remnant who seek the Lord. Paul reminds the Corinthians that God chooses the weak to shame the strong. And in the Gospel, Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes as a sort of the charter of the Kingdom of God. These blessings are not for the self-sufficient, but for those who know their need. They define the character of those willing to follow Christ into the deep: the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful.
Here in Augusta, Gardiner, Winthrop, Hallowell, and Whitefield, the Church is not the same as it was 20, 30, or 60 years ago. Those of us who gather today, we are the faithful remnant. And the temptation for any remnant is to shrink inward, to grow discouraged, nostalgic, or passive. Instead, what if we each chose one Beatitude as our guide this week? Perhaps we could begin with meekness and mercy.
Meekness is not weakness. It is strength aligned with the mission of Christ. Likewise, mercy is not indulgence. it is practical love that bears patiently with one another in charity. Mercy sees the needs of others and asks, “What can I do?” It reminds me of President John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
This week, let us put out into deep water. Choose meekness. Choose mercy. Let’s ask: What can I do? For my parish? For my family? For God? Choose to trust that God is still calling us to cast our nets, even now, and that the catch He has in store is more than we can imagine.