Jesus calls Simon to be a fisher of men, even though he knows that Simon is a weak and sinful man.
We can also learn from this for dealing with current problems in our Church:
It's not about a spotless and flawless Church, nor about more efficiency.
The point is that we, as imperfect human beings, learn to salvage and retrieve the wealth of God's wisdom from the depths and bring this wealth into our lives.
You have heard about the report on the investigation into the sexual abuse of minors that the Archdiocese of Munich commissioned and published 2 ½ weeks ago.
This investigative report not only weighed heavily on the Munich diocesan leaders.
It also affects Pope Emeritus Benedict who is accused of serious mistakes during his tenure as Archbishop of Munich 40 years ago.
His written response to this report was unsatisfactory.
Those affected by these mistakes rightly expect that the injuries and suffering caused by the acting persons then will be dealt with appropriately.
The church and the non-church public also demand a credible strategy to prevent such abuses and mistakes in the future.
For this, it takes more than personal apologies.
The greatest challenge is probably the development of renewed moral-theological guidelines that help us to integrate sexuality as a positive force in our lives.
Popes appear in gleaming white cassocks, symbolizing the impeccability of their person and office.
They give the impression that such a Church cannot make mistakes.
But then it shouldn't come as a surprise that the pope and the other representatives of the Church are being watched closely from all sides.
The media denounce any discrepancy.
Now the question is: can popes make mistakes?
In the gospel, we heard about the call of Simon Peter to be a 'fisher of men'.
In this tale, we are introduced to a man who is neither perfect nor flawless.
Nevertheless, Jesus urges exactly this man to follow him.
Later Jesus even entrusts him with the leadership of the young Church.
Peter experiences the unexpectedly rich catch of fish as a miracle – a miracle he is not worthy of.
Peter stammers: 'Get away from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord!'
However, Jesus does not distance himself from Peter, even though he knew Peter better than Peter knew himself.
Jesus invites him and his friends to follow him.
He calls on Peter and his friends to gather people behind them who will be motivated by the good news of the kingdom of God.
They drop everything and embark on a new path.
This is not the only story in the gospels in which Peter is presented as a man afflicted with weaknesses.
All four evangelists repeatedly point out that the rock on which Jesus built the Church has weaknesses and flaws.
What is true of Peter is also true of the Church as a whole:
It's not the perfect community of believers who don't make mistakes.
The Church also doesn't need to work on a flawless image.
It does not have a perfect teaching that will heal the whole world.
The Church is constantly renewed through the example and through the words of Jesus.
In every epoch, the Church has to struggle anew for the path entrusted to her.
Any formulation of its principles and truths is only temporary and must be continually won anew.
The church is not alone in its search for truth.
The various sciences, but also religions and worldviews - they all strive with all the means at their disposal to get an ever-better picture of reality.
In the last few decades, the natural sciences in particular have profoundly changed our lives through their findings.
Dialogue with them deepens and renews our view as human beings and of what is good for the whole world.
What can we learn from this for dealing with the current church crisis, what can lead us out of the crisis?
It will not be enough for the Pope and some bishops to apologize and show signs of reparation and compensation, much as that would be welcome.
Nor will it suffice if they reformulate some principles and publish further guidelines.
The challenge is much greater and affects us all.
We are all challenged to realign our handling of our relationships and of sexuality with the gospel of God's love and the kingdom of God.
And this must be done in such a way that it builds on the knowledge of human sciences.
We have not yet found sufficiently satisfactory answers and manners to many questions.
Questions like:
How do we enable young people to develop relationships and integrate their sexuality into their lives?
How do we deal with people with broken relationships, how do we deal with relationships of people with special needs, how do we deal with same-sex lovers...?
We will also need to find new ways of dealing with those who have transgressed, who have sinned against others.
Jesus' request to go out onto the lake and cast the net where it is deep does not only apply to Peter and his helpers then, this request also applies to us today:
From the depths of God's wealth and wisdom, we too will draw undreamt-of treasures.
cf. predigtforum.at