While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God

Luke 5: 1 - 11


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1 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret.

2 And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

5 And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets."

6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking,

7 they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb'edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men."

11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.


There is a certain love deeply seated in our nature that imperceptibly knits together these bodies of ours. Nothing so welds our life together as the love of man and wife.




-- St. John Chrysostom