Jesus goes to the shore of the Sea of Galilee to call his first disciples. In this episode, we walk with Jesus on the shore as he encounters a group of fishermen. After preaching to the crowd, he calls on Peter to cast the nets into the deep, where they catch a huge number of fish. Witness the moment when Peter is called to be a “fisher of men.”
“Consider...how the apostles were of uneducated and low condition...the dignity to which they were so sweetly called...the gifts and graces by which they were raised above all the fathers of the new and old testaments..” - Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius 275
It can be helpful to review the text of a story before you begin a contemplative exercise. This episode is based specifically on the calling of the disciples from Luke 5: 1-11.
You can reflect on other stories of the calling of the disciples in the following passages:
Use the following images if you would like some help guiding your imagination to build this scene, but only insofar as they are helpful. Please don’t feel restricted by these images. Allow your imagination to add or change details as it happens naturally for you. Don’t worry about complete historical accuracy. The point of the exercise is connection with Jesus.
Jesus walks along the shore
He walks up to a group of fishermen with their boat
He tells them to cast their nets
Peter kneels before Jesus
