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      One of Pope St. John Paul II's encyclicals took its title from the above sentence from the gospel passage for today: DUC IN ALTUM, the Latin for "Put out into the deep."  He was writing about the "new evangelization" and the importance of going beyond the surface of our faith into the depths of the "mystery" of Christ.  The new evangelization has as its primary purpose to recover the faith of Catholics who have grown weak in faith or have fallen away altogether from even a minimal practice.

     The scene in which Jesus rewards Peter and others for the use of their boat is a familiar one because it ends with the line, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people!"  The challenge, to my way of thinking, is two-fold.  First of all, it is a challenge to those of us who are in full time ministry and feel that we have little to show for our efforts.  Peter points out that he and his partners have labored all night long.  So, it's not a question of laziness.  It appears that they just weren't fishing in the right place!  My dad was an ardent week-end fisherman and other folks equally ardent were always interested in where he was fishing because he seemed to know where the "big ones" were.  In this case, Jesus knew where the fish were.  It means going where we have not gone before.

     The second challenge is to all baptized Catholics to take a look at their own faith and see just how deep it really is.  Are we willing to do more than go to Church on Sunday and receive the sacraments without going further into their meaning and depth?  And, having done that, are we willing to reach out to others "in the deep" to share that faith?    The Lord promises a great catch to those willing to conquer their fears and go out into the deep.  AMEN