Homily by Fr. Simon Ckuj on the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Glory to Jesus Christ!

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In today’s Gospel, we see a simple but powerful scene. Jesus steps into the boat of Simon Peter and teaches the crowds from the shore. Then, when He finishes speaking, He turns to Peter and says: “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter, exhausted after a fruitless night, replies honestly, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; but at your word I will let down the nets.” And when he does, the nets are filled to breaking — a sign of abundance, of divine generosity beyond all expectation.

In that moment, Peter realises who stands before him. He falls to his knees and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But Christ does not depart. Instead, He calls Peter to something greater: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

This Gospel invites us to trust, especially when our human strength fails. Each of us knows what it is to “toil all night” — to work, to struggle, to pray, and yet to see little fruit. But the Lord asks us to go deeper — not into the shallow waters of fear or discouragement, but “into the deep,” where faith, not sight, must guide us. When Peter obeys the word of Christ, the miracle happens. When we, too, act in faith and obedience, God multiplies what we could never achieve alone.

Saint Paul, in today’s Epistle, gives us the same spiritual law: “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” The Lord loves a cheerful giver. Paul is not speaking only of money — he is speaking of the gift of ourselves. When we give our time, our mercy, our forgiveness, our love — when we open our hearts — God returns it a hundredfold. The more we give, the more we receive, because our giving makes space for God’s grace to enter.

Today we also celebrate the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council, held in Nicaea in the year 787. These were men of deep faith who defended the truth that we honour and venerate holy icons — not as idols, but as windows into the heavenly reality. Because the Son of God truly became man — because He took on our flesh, our face, our humanity — He can be depicted. To venerate His image is to confess that God is with us; that He entered our world and sanctified it.

When we enter our churches and kiss the icon of Christ or the Mother of God, we are not worshipping paint and wood. We are greeting the living presence of the One who became visible for our salvation. The icon teaches us that our faith is not abstract; it is incarnate, visible, and real. It reminds us that holiness shines through ordinary human faces — that every person, created in God’s image, is called to reflect His light.

Just as Christ stepped into Peter’s boat, He steps into the boat of the Church — and into the small “boats” of our families, our communities, even our hearts. The Church is that boat of salvation that sails through the stormy sea of the world. Inside, we are safe when we listen to His word and follow His command. And like Peter, when we allow Christ to steer the boat, the nets are filled — sometimes beyond what we can imagine.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord calls us again today to “put out into the deep.” Perhaps your nets are empty — perhaps you feel weary, uncertain, or unworthy. But the Lord says to each of us: “Do not be afraid.” If we trust Him, if we offer what little we have with faith and generosity, His grace will overflow — not only for us but for all those whom He wishes to draw into His Kingdom.

As we honour the Holy Fathers who preserved the true image of Christ, let us strive to become living icons ourselves — men and women through whom others can glimpse the face of God. In our compassion, in our patience, in our forgiveness, may Christ be made visible.

And when we gather here for the Divine Liturgy, surrounded by the holy icons, we are reminded that we stand at the threshold of heaven. Christ is in our midst — not only on the walls, but on the altar, in the chalice, and, if we open our hearts, within us.

May the Lord who filled Peter’s nets fill our hearts today with faith, hope, and love — so that, through us, others too may be drawn into the great and joyful catch of the Kingdom of God.

See also

February 16 “Christianity and the Common Good”: The Thomas More Centre Conference in Melbourne January 24 Homily by Fr. Simon Ckuj on the Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee and St Gregory the Theologian January 15 “May this place become holy ground, where heaven and earth meet, and where the Church is continually upheld by prayer”