Dearly beloved in Christ, the story of the advent of the Catholic Faith in Africa, especially in Nigeria cannot be complete without a distinctive mention of the efforts of Irish missionaries. On the other hand, we cannot talk about Irish missionaries, without a mention of distinguished St. Patrick, the one who had the honour of evangelizing all of Ireland. St. Patrick, my dear friends is the major inspiration for much of the missionary initiatives that had their beginnings in Ireland. As we celebrate the feast of that great missionary, he (St. Patrick) is a secondary patron of Nigeria; second to Our Lady, Queen of Nigeria. May St. Patrick intercede for Nigeria in these perilous times. In the gospel passage, Luke 5:1-11, we are presented with the story of Peter, who had been fishing all night, and caught nothing. However, at the directive of Jesus, he put out into the deep, and cast his net again. You know very well, my dear friends how discouraging it can be to put in so much work, expend so much energy, deprive oneself of sleep and other valuable resources, and yet, have very little or nothing to show for it.
What must have been even more exasperating for Simon was that he; an accomplished fisherman had to take instruction on fishing from the son of a carpenter. He had done all the right things during the whole night, the best time for fishing, and yet, he caught nothing. So, Peter did cast the net out in trust. He cast it out in trust, little did he and the other fishermen watching, know that Jesus, who instructed Peter, was not simply the son of a carpenter, but the creator of Heaven and of Earth, the one who created everything out of nothing; for whom nothing could stand in the way of whatever he wanted to do. What this means for us dear friends, is that no one can serve God, make sacrifices, make efforts to live a holy life, endure difficulties, as it were, toil all night, and end up with nothing.
It is impossible to end up with nothing, as long as Jesus is on the throne, and we do all the things as he directs us. My dear friends, let us spend this lent, doing it as Jesus directs, and our efforts will not be in vain. St. Patrick, whom the Church celebrates on Tuesday, served God with his whole life; spreading the gospel as Jesus directed, and certainly, it was not for nothing. Irish missionaries all over the world, as well as the growth of the Church in Nigeria are testimonies that St. Patrick did not serve in vain. And therefore, no one will serve God with all his might and end up with nothing. The multitude of people that serve God today, because of St. Patrick, is evidence that a great haul of fish is waiting to be caught, if only we allow Jesus to be the captain of the fishing trawler. May the Almighty God bless you today and always, in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
• Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos.
