Colossians 1:9-14 / Luke 5:1-11
Among the apostles whom Jesus chose, the one whom we know about the most, and hence, the one whom we talk about often, is St. Peter.
Besides being known as the first pope, there are other characteristics about him that make us wonder why Jesus gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
As we know it, St. Peter denied Jesus, not just once but three times; he slept during prayer, he was impulsive and he shoots his mouth off.
Yet we cannot deny that there was a child-like sincerity about St. Peter.
In today's gospel, we see that sincerity along with his simplicity and humility.
St. Peter was humble enough to take instructions from Jesus even though he himself should know better.
And when he saw the truth in Jesus he was humble and sincere about acknowledging his unworthiness and sinfulness.
Maybe that was what Jesus saw in St. Peter - his capacity for sincerity and humility.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul told the Colossians that a perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding are the keys of knowing the will of God.
More importantly, we must know what God has done for us: He has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in His kingdom, and in Jesus we gain our freedom and the forgiveness of our sins.
When we truly understand that, then we, like St. Peter, will be sincere and humble enough to follow the will of God and to go out even if it's into the deep water.