As we find ourselves in the liturgical calm following Pentecost, the Church in her ancient wisdom sets before us two rich and deeply consoling passages: Romans 8:18–23 and Luke 5:1–11. These texts, proclaimed on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Dominica IV Post Pentecosten) in the traditional Roman Rite, guide the soul through the mystery of suffering, hope, and the response of obedient faith. In their pairing, we see both the groaning of a world in travail and the call to cast our nets into the deep.
Romans 8:18–23 – The Groaning of Creation and the Glory to Come
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us.” (Rom 8:18)
St. Paul’s words resound with the thundering hope of the Resurrection. He does not deny the reality of suffering—indeed, he dignifies it by placing it within the context of redemption. According to St. John Chrysostom, “If the sufferings were not great, the glory would not be so great. The one is the measure of the other” (Hom. on Rom. 14). Thus, far from being meaningless, the trials of the present are likened to the pangs of childbirth—the necessary prelude to new life.
The Apostle tells us that “the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (v. 22). This echoes the patristic understanding that all of nature is affected by man’s fall and waits for restoration. St. Irenaeus of Lyons affirms, “Creation, having been made subject to vanity by the sin of man, will also be restored to its original condition in the resurrection of the just” (Adv. Haer. V.32.1). Even nature longs for the revealing of the sons of God—for the final consummation when grace will triumph over the scars of sin.
And yet, this glory is not only future. St. Gregory the Great teaches that the desire for heaven already stretches the soul upwards: “The more the soul loves what is above, the more it groans over what is below” (Moralia on Job). We live in the tension of “already but not yet,” groaning with the Spirit as we await the redemption of our bodies.
Luke 5:1–11 – Duc in Altum: Obedience in the Face of Failure
“Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: but at Thy word I will let down the net.” (Luke 5:5)
In this Gospel passage, St. Peter and his companions are weary from a night of fruitless labor. Their nets are empty. Yet when Our Lord commands them to cast once more into the deep, Peter—though uncertain—obeys. His trust, though tested, opens the way to a miraculous catch.
Here, the Church Fathers find much spiritual nourishment. St. Ambrose reflects: “Peter does not speak of fish, but of obedience” (Expositio Ev. Secundum Lucam IV.4). The miracle, then, is not just about abundance, but about the fruit that follows faithfulness. Peter’s obedience, in the face of worldly failure, prefigures the mission of the Church: to cast the Gospel net into a resistant world.
St. Cyril of Alexandria sees in the boat an image of the Church, laboring on the seas of this world: “As long as the Lord was not with them, they caught nothing; but when He commanded, their nets were filled” (In Luc. Hom. XI). This reminds us that apostolic success depends not on human skill, but on divine command.
And what is the response to this abundant grace? Fear and awe. “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” says Peter (v. 8). This is not despair, but the humble reverence that precedes vocation. The Lord’s reply is gentle and firm: “Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” His call transforms Peter’s identity—from fisherman to apostle, from self-reliant laborer to instrument of grace.
The Theological Harmony of the Readings
What ties these two readings together on this Sunday is the divine logic of hope and mission. St. Paul reminds us that suffering is not the end, but the seedbed of glory. St. Luke shows us that human failure, when offered in obedience, becomes the occasion for divine abundance. Both require trust: in suffering, we wait with hope; in mission, we obey in faith.
Dom Gueranger, commenting on this Sunday, writes: “It is by the sufferings of the present life, and by the devotedness of their lives to others, that the children of God are to be made perfect.” The Church herself, like Peter’s boat, may at times appear fragile and fruitless—but when she obeys her Divine Master, she brings in a multitude.
A Final Exhortation
As we journey through this time after Pentecost—the “green” season of spiritual growth—we are invited to unite our groaning with that of creation, to hope in the promised glory, and to answer the call of Christ to cast our nets anew. Let us not fear failure, nor shy away from suffering. Rather, let us echo St. Peter’s humble obedience: “At Thy word, I will…”
May the Lord, who filled the nets of His apostles and groans with us in our weakness, bring us to the fullness of that glory which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, but which is prepared for those who love Him.
“He who called Peter from his boat, calls each of us from our complacency to follow Him into deeper waters.” — A thought worthy of prayer this week.
Suggested Prayer (in the spirit of the Collect for this Sunday):
O God, who through the abasement of Thy Son hast lifted up a fallen world: grant to Thy faithful perpetual gladness, that those whom Thou hast delivered from the perils of eternal death may rejoice in everlasting felicity. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.