Dear Prof.,
Respectfully submitting my 5-minute "Call to Arms/Action" intended for Parish Leaders' Recollection.
Thank you very much po.
Leader Belle S. Katigbak
A CALL TO ARMS SPEECH
By: Leader Sister Belle Katigbak
Fellow parish leaders, have you ever experienced working all day long and only to come home with an empty net? What failure, disappointment, or frustration made you feel some kind of emptiness? Has there been a time when you felt "aloneness" and thought of giving up in this ministry? Friends, you're not alone!
St. Luke narrates this story. One time Jesus saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Jesus sat on the boat and 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!" Yes, all night long Simon and his friends "toiled and took nothing". They labored but did not catch any. This Jesus, the carpenter's Son Who doesn't know a bit about catching fish would tell Simon "Duc in altum"! ("Put out into the deep"). Yet Peter continued by saying, "But at your word I will let down the nets." Lo and behold, just imagine what happened! He caught a multitude of fish, a big catch indeed it was, that the boat started to sink!
Like the disciples, I too, have experienced "working all night long and came home empty handed". Just at the time that I gave myself to the service of the church, my husband's business went bankrupt. We had to sell properties one after the other. The fruit of long years of hard labor went down the drain. Yet I continued serving. Sometimes the emptiness would worsen like when after having prepared everything so well for church ministry, only three or four or five participants would come…oh, it is like "going home with an empty net!" But I persevered…and only to go through another bottom rock experience, an ordeal that I thought was impossible for me to get through. My husband suffered life threatening multiple strokes. I had practically nothing. My boat was empty. Then Jesus came into my boat, saying, "Put out into the deep and let down your net for a catch". I surrendered to Jesus, trusted Him, and laid my cares on Him. And He filled my net beyond measure, more than what money could buy. My husband was miraculously healed!
What does this "Duc in Altum" mean to leaders like you?
1. Leadership journey is what matters. Do not focus on the fruits of your labor.
Working very hard does not always guarantee success. Sometimes we will meet failures. It's okay. Continue the journey anyway. What matters most is what happens along the way. How have we grown in leadership while doing our task?
2. Leadership journey is shifting paradigms.
Discover the gifts of others to be able to do something out of a situation. In the story, Jesus, a carpenter taught the fishermen to try another way, and He succeeded. Who do you put your trust on?
3. An authentic leader possesses an attitude of holy indifference, ready to let go anytime.
Simon readily "cast his net". What are your nets? What is it that you are attached to? Can you let go?
Fellow servant-leaders you are holding the history of the next generation of leaders in your hands. What is it that you want to bequeath to the next officers of the Parish Pastoral Council? I want you to understand how important your role, my role, our role is in the church. Our legacy is to be faithful authentic leaders till the end, even when life seems so empty. Even when it seems that nothing good is happening, serve anyway. This is the model of servant-leadership that you and I will leave to the next generation.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, today, Jesus is telling you and me to "Put out into the Deep", for in the depth of the sea is life. You and I need to cast our nets where Jesus is leading us. Lay your cares on Him for Jesus alone brings fulfillment in our lives. Like Peter, can you trust Him? Will you lower your nets? Are you ready for the great catch?
At the end of the gospel story, Jesus said, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."[a] 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Come now, let us leave everything and follow Jesus!
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FULL TEXT OF THE GOSPEL
St. Luke 5:1-11
5 On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, 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 finished 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 large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. 7 They signaled 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 and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men."[a] 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
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