Over the next several weeks, Jesus is going to be teaching us about discipleship. This could be seen as a mini-message series, which I would call, “Hooked: Followers Fish.” In both today’s first reading, and in the Gospel, we hear stories of people being called to follow God.

When Jesus called the first apostles, He promised them the following things if they followed Him. First, Jesus said that He could transform and change them. Next, He promised that He could give them a certain skill. And finally, Jesus promised to make them into something. Jesus did not promise the disciples that He would make them smarter or wealthier or more popular or better looking. He did not even promise to make them “holier,” whatever that means.

Jesus told His first followers that if they followed Him they would become fishers of men. Professional fishermen have courage, patience, determination, and faith. Jesus said that He would teach the disciples to have these skills that would help bring people into a relationship with him. Jesus did not pick the religious leaders to be His apostles. Rather He chose hardworking, blue-collar guys – in fact, seven out ofthe twelve were actual fishermen.

The fishing metaphor has been used throughout the history of Christianity to describe our efforts to share our faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus invites us to capture hearts of people with the truth of the Gospel – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16). If we follow Jesus long enough and close enough, we will bring people into a relationship with Him. This is all part of our Baptismal promises, to help people who do not know Jesus personally come to know Him; to make disciples.

The Catholic Church has not always been so great in evangelization. For many years the focus on growing the Church was to send missionaries into foreign countries, and by having large families. The days of foreign missionaries and big families are in our past. The mission field is no longer just in foreign countries – it is in our own backyard: our workplaces, our schools, on the ball field, and in our families.

The goal of this mini-message series is to see two truths. First, the most crucial way to love people and help them is bring them into a relationship with Jesus. We fish – share our faith in Christ – because we want to help people live a better life. Secondly, sharing our faith is crucial to deepening our own faith, so that our life will have significance.

In today’s Gospel we see Jesus preaching to a large crowd. Jesus did not have any problems drawing a crowd. People recognized something extraordinary about Him. As the crowd pressed in, Jesus gets into Simon Peter’s boat, and asks him to take Him out a bit. Jesus understood acoustics; the water would have an amplifying effect.

A key point is Simon Peter’s reaction. After a long, frustrating night of fishing and not catching anything, he is washing his nets. At this point he really does not know Jesus well, but he too is attracted to Jesus’ preaching. Here’s the key – Simon Peter makes himself and his boat available to Jesus. We too need to make ourselves available to Jesus: our time, our resources, and our entire lives.

After the crowd leaves, Jesus, the carpenter, says something surprising to Simon Peter, the professional fisherman – He tells Peter to put out into the deep for a catch. It is the wrong time of the day for catching fish, and Peter just finished cleaning his nets. However, if we want to go deeper in our relationship with Jesus, from time to time we have to listen to Jesus when He says it is time to fish. It is time to go out and bring people into a relationship with Him.

Going into deeper water can be uncomfortable. It is like doing anything for the first time, but we will acclimate over time. It is also uncomfortable because we are seeing ourselves differently – we might think, “I’m not someone who talks about Jesus or brings someone to Church.” But if we want to have a meaningful relationship with Jesus we must be willing to introduce Him to others. For those of you who are married, remember the first time you introduced your spouse to your family and friends. There might have been some awkwardness, worrying what they would think of them. But imagine if you never had introduced them. At some point, you have to go through that discomfort for a relationship to grow.

Despite all his experience telling him otherwise, Simon Peter obeyed Jesus. “When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing” (Luke 5:6). The lesson: Jesus knows what He is talking about.

Jesus is the authority and expert on life. We do not introduce people into a religion but into a relationship with the one person who knows and understands life. We introduce people to Jesus because He makes our lives better and makes us better at life.

Sharing our faith can fill us with fear, but Jesus says the same thing to us that He did to Peter, “Do not be afraid.” Don’t be afraid that you are not good enough to bring others to Christ, or that you don’t have all the answers to the tough questions. If Jesus who is the master and authority on life sends you out to fish, you have nothing to fear. We get through the fear by first acknowledging it, but not letting it drive us. Jesus invites us into an adventure and He will give us the opportunity to bring people into a relationship with Him.

Here is the strategy: Invest and Invite. In your life, be on the lookout for friends, family members and co-workers who do not have a relationship with Jesus. Invest in those people by praying for them everyday, by fasting in some way. Invest in them the same way you would would invest in any relationship. Then when appropriate invite them to come to Mass.

You don’t have to do it alone. Find a fishing buddy in the Church. Work together to create an irresistible environment so that people will come to know their Savior.

Your goal during this month is to commit to impacting just one person. Pray for them daily. Fast from something you love – coffee or chocolate – for them. Invest in the relationship by looking for opportunities to connect and talk with them. Then invite them to join us for our Lenten series, which begins the first weekend of March.

Jesus is the authority on life. He knows how life works, and He makes people’s lives better. He invites us to bring people to Him. It is part of being a disciple: Followers fish.