“In the Gospel, the disciples worked hard the whole night—and caught nothing.
They were not lazy. They were not careless. They were not doing something wrong. They were trying. And yet… nothing happened.
And this is where the Gospel becomes very real for us. Because many of us are like that. We are trying: We work hard for our families, we do our responsibilities, we try to solve our problems, we make plans, we think, we decide. And yet sometimes, despite all our effort, we feel tired, frustrated, even empty.
So the issue is not always that we are not trying. Sometimes, we are trying very hard.
But here is the truth the Gospel wants to teach us today: Sometimes, the problem is not that we are not trying. The problem is—we are trying without listening to the Lord.
The disciples relied on what they knew. They were fishermen. They had experience. They had skills. But that night, their own strength was not enough.
And isn’t that also true for us?
We rely on our intelligence, our experience, our connections, our own plans. And these are not bad. But when we rely only on ourselves, we slowly leave God out of the picture. We decide first… and pray later. We act first… and consult God only when things fail.
Then Jesus comes. And He gives a very simple instruction: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat.” It is so simple. In fact, it may not even make sense. But they listen. And because they listen, everything changes. From nothing… to abundance. From empty nets… to overflowing nets.
My dear brothers and sisters, here is the message for us: It is not enough to work hard—we must also listen to God. Because one word from the Lord, one small direction, one moment of listening—can change everything.
Maybe that is what we are missing today. We are busy… but we are not listening. We are active… but we are not praying.
We are planning… but we are not discerning.
We want results—but we forget to ask: “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Listening to God is simple—but not easy. It requires: silence in a noisy world, prayer in a busy schedule, and humility to admit: “I may not know everything”. It means allowing God to guide us, not just asking Him to bless our plans.
So today, the Lord invites us to examine ourselves: In my decisions… do I listen to God? In my work… do I seek His guidance? In my struggles… do I ask for His direction? Or am I just relying on myself?
My dear brothers and sisters, if today you feel tired…if your efforts seem fruitless… if your “nets” are empty— maybe the Lord is not telling you to try harder. Maybe He is telling you: “Listen to Me.” Because when we listen to the Lord, even the same work, even the same situation—can produce a different result.
Let us remember: Without listening to God, we remain empty. With God’s guidance, even our little becomes abundant.
So before we act… let us listen. Before we decide… let us pray. Before we move… let us ask the Lord. And we will see— one word from Him can change everything.”