OSV News photo/Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media

Editor’s note: Columnist Johann Fernando is enrolled in the permanent diaconate formation program of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. He is a parishioner of St. Anna Church, Monroe

On June 29, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, two men whose lives remind us that God does not wait until we are perfect before calling us. Peter was a fisherman, impulsive and very human. Paul was once a persecutor of Christians. Yet both were transformed by the grace of Christ and became great witnesses to the Gospel. That gives me great hope.

In my own journey of faith and formation, I have often reflected on how God calls ordinary people, with all their weaknesses, fears and limitations, into something deeper. This became especially meaningful to me during a discussion in our Prayer Forms class in the diaconate formation program. We reflected on the words Jesus spoke to Simon Peter in Luke’s Gospel: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”

There is great meaning in that little line. In Latin, the phrase is often expressed as Duc in Altum—cast into the deep. These words are not simply about fishing. They are about trust. They are about obedience. They are about leaving the safety of the shoreline and allowing Christ to lead us into places we may not have chosen for ourselves.

Peter knew the water. He knew fishing. He and the others had worked all night and caught nothing. They were tired, discouraged and probably ready to be done. Yet when Jesus asked him to try again, Peter answered, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.”

That response has stayed with me: “At your command.”

So much of the Christian life begins there. Not because we understand everything. Not because the timing is convenient. Not because we feel fully prepared. But because Christ has spoken, and we are invited to trust him.

For many of us, the “deep water” may not be dramatic. It may be the quiet place in our heart where God is asking for more trust. It may be a difficult conversation we have been avoiding. It may be the need to forgive someone who has hurt us. It may be returning to prayer after a season of discouragement. It may be coming back to Mass, going to confession, serving someone in need, or inviting someone we love to rediscover the faith.

Sometimes the deep water is simply the place where we stop relying only on ourselves and begin to say, “Lord, if you say so, I will try again.”

Peter’s reaction to the miraculous catch is also very moving. When he realizes what has happened, he falls to his knees and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Many of us can understand that feeling. We know our sins. We know our failures. We know the ways we fall short. At times, we may wonder whether we are worthy to pray, to serve, or to be used by God.

But Jesus does not move away from Peter. He does not shame him. He does not say, “Come back when you are stronger.” Instead, Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” Then he gives Peter a mission: “From now on you will be catching men.”

This is one of the most beautiful truths of the Gospel. God’s mercy is greater than our unworthiness. His call is greater than our fear. His grace can work even through our weakness.

Saints Peter and Paul both knew this. Peter denied the Lord and was restored by love. Paul persecuted the Church and was transformed into a tireless apostle. Their lives show us that holiness is not the absence of weakness. Holiness begins when we allow Christ to take our weakness and lead us deeper into his mercy and mission.

That is why the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul is such a fitting time to hear again the invitation of Christ: cast into the deep.

Perhaps this is what the Church needs from each of us today: a willingness to go deeper—deeper in prayer, deeper in Scripture, deeper in the Eucharist, deeper in mercy and deeper in mission. Evangelization is not only something that happens from a pulpit or in a formal program. It happens in families, parishes, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and quiet conversations. It happens when one person has the courage to witness to Christ with humility and love.

To cast into the deep is to be “all in” for the mission of Christ. It is to stop standing safely on the shore and to allow the Lord to use our lives for the building up of his Kingdom. It is not always easy. The waters may be unfamiliar. We may feel tired, inadequate or afraid. But the Gospel reminds us that we do not go alone.

The same Christ who stepped into Peter’s boat is with the Church today. He is with families carrying heavy burdens. He is with young people searching for meaning. He is with those grieving a loss. He is with the elderly who feel forgotten. He is with those who have drifted from the Church and wonder whether there is a way back. He is with every person who quietly asks, “Lord, where are you leading me?”

On this Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, perhaps the invitation for each of us is simple: listen again to the voice of Christ. Trust him beyond the shoreline. Lower the nets one more time.

May we have the faith of Peter to say, “At your command,” and the courage of Paul to proclaim Christ wherever we are sent.

And may we never forget the words Jesus speaks to every disciple who is afraid to go deeper: “Do not be afraid.”