Homilies & Thoughts

Jesus speaks often about fasting, almsgiving, and works of penance. This might surprise us. We live in a culture that has long shifted its focus. While fasting and charity still exist, they are often treated as secondary, even optional. This makes it difficult to understand what Jesus is saying. That is why we must rediscover the meaning of penance, and there is no better time for this than Lent.

Too often, when we hear the word penance, we think of extremes—medieval flagellants parading through the streets, people sleeping on broken glass, or fasting to the point of exhaustion. But these are distortions, misunderstandings that the Church has consistently opposed. True penance is something entirely different.

There is something deeply unsettling about realizing we do not see as clearly as we think. Jesus’ words confront us with this reality. We assume that we understand the world, that we can judge right from wrong, that we can identify the faults in others with accuracy. And yet, Jesus tells us otherwise. He warns that sin is not just a private matter between us and God—it distorts everything, especially our vision.

There is a reason why fishermen do not cast their nets from the shore. The shallow waters are comfortable, familiar, and safe, but they do not hold the abundance they seek. The deeper waters, though unpredictable and at times treacherous, are where the true catch is found. When Jesus tells Simon Peter to put out into the deep, he is not only speaking about fishing. He is calling Peter—and us—to a new way of life, one that requires courage, trust, and a willingness to go beyond what is comfortable.