We cannot fix reality with a dream, even if we believe in God.

In difficult times, we live with the impression that we can settle for survival, but life waits for no one. It must be lived, regardless of what lies ahead.

Given that life always goes on, I think there is nothing sadder in the world than to accept a prospect that divides outcomes into triumphs or defeats. The banalities that make up our existence, put us in the awkward position of scorning the ridiculous (but also curing ourselves of the ridiculous preciousness), are entitled to their own poetics, genuine and, ultimately, elemental preservation. good sense.

Recently I came across a famous passage from the Gospel in a different way. The problem suggested by the “Wonderful Fishing” (Lk. 5:1-11) goes, in my opinion, beyond the convenient context of “internal” (cathedral) logic. With a terrible war next door and so many public frenzies that increasingly test our patience, I thought – why not? – that this episode could allude to the drama of peace, without which, even in the universe of the faithful, life would have nothing but signs of sadness.

Shortly after his first encounter with Jesus of Nazareth, after a night spent fishing without catching anything, Simon Peter returns to shore disappointed and weary. Here he finds Christ, who, bringing him out of the melancholy of failure, asks him to take him into the boat to preach to the crowd gathered on the shore. A little later, Jesus will ask him to go out to sea without delay and cast his nets.

However, no serious fisherman casts his net in the middle of the day on a lake through which ships and boats sail. However, a confused Simon listens, putting his job and his reputation with his peers on the line. Stunned, after a wonderful catch, he is overcome with fear and, referring to his unworthiness, asks Jesus to leave. To encourage him, Jesus continues the discussion in the realm of fishing, inviting Simon to take another step to become a “fisher of men.” In fact, like any ordinary person, perhaps too attached to the records of this world, Peter does not feel ready (desiring?) to enter into God’s plan. To continue his mission, Jesus wants people like him – people like us! – are ready to take risks and expose themselves.

– They struggled all night, did not catch anything! Is it worth the effort? Is it still worth going to the sea? Does it make sense to continue to fight, to testify, not to give up, to believe this one word of Jesus? All these years, watching those who leave everything at home and go out into the world, resigning themselves to rule without a clear appeal to faith, we, in turn, feel stunned. Can the transmission of trust in Jesus – rather the universe-inspired sensibility of a generation of values, but now transferred to the west – be approximated as a testamentary provision? However, wouldn’t it be too simple to pass on the faith to those who come after you, like a name, property, like some material values? We all know that doubt is part of the journey of faith. However, her God-given courage is not a measure of our personal abilities.

We cannot recognize the dowry of the heart if it is not the most precious to us. To have such courage sometimes even means stepping out of the usual environment that otherwise gives us perceived safety or objectivity. Later, the Gospel shows us that St. Peter openly opposes the Way of the Cross out of a healthy sense of personal security, but Jesus will respect him without restriction: “Get behind me, Satan, do not think of the judgment of God!” (Matthew 16, 23). Therefore, the courage to publicly demand justice and security in the name of Jesus cannot be everything for a person of faith.

In today’s world, those who continue to believe are less and less considered successful people. Can vitality only be real when we do memorable things? For Jesus, however, such a perspective implies not only contempt for the power of life, but also the value of the little things that make great things certain. From a small thing – the courtesy of a few sensitive women who undertook the task, respect for the lifeless body of the Master, a thing of no great importance in the repetition of our days – the news of the Resurrection was revealed. Allowing for disappointments and insults, believing only in the triumphs of power (which divides people into losers and successful) does not lead to victories given by God. Read the whole article and comment on Contributors.ro