Patrick Comerford
The 40-day season of Christmas continues until Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation (2 February). This is the Third Sunday of Epiphany (Epiphany III, 25 January 2026), and is also the Festival of the Conversion of Saint Paul, although this may be transferred to Monday (26 January).
Today too is the eighth day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which began last Sunday and ends today. This year’s theme has been ‘One Body, One Spirit’ – from Ephesians 4: 1-13 – and was prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches.
I hope to be at the Parish Eucharist in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford, later this morning. Then, this evening, I am with the Stony Playreaders presenting three new short plays by group members exploring the themes of communication and miscommunication, all Upstairs at the Library on Church Street.
It’s Good To Talk is a new play by Emma Luckhurst in which I have the role of Richard III – without the hunchback. Talking may be good for you, but it is also a risky game, loaded with approximations, misunderstandings and pitfalls for the unwary. The two shorter plays are Stony Magic by Peter Stone, in which I have the part of ‘The Widower’, and Marmalade at the Palace by Claire Kemp, a slightly longer short play for grown-ups with a fondness for dry wit, diplomatic disasters – and small talking bears – when I became a footman of impeccable behaviour.
Admission is free on both evenings at 7 pm on both evenings, on Sunday 25 January and Thursday 29 January, but donations will be welcome, and light refreshments are being offered.
Meanwhile, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:
1, today’s Gospel reading;
2, a short reflection;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;
4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.
Matthew 4: 12-23 (NRSVA):
12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles —
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.’
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake – for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
Today’s Reflections:
When Christ heard about the arrest of Saint John the Baptist, he withdrew to the Wilderness, where he was tempted by the Devil. However, he refused to use his divine powers to his own human ends.
In this reading, he now moves from Nazareth to Capernaum, so he can begin his mission. Saint Matthew also interprets this move as fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah that are included in today’s first reading (Isaiah 9: 1-4).
At the launch of his public ministry, Christ calls on people to repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.
He then calls his first four disciples: Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, and the brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee. He invites them to follow him, and to ‘fish for people.’ They give up their trade immediately, leaving their nets (verse 20) and their boats (verse 22), beginning a radically different way of life.
Christ continues his ministry, travelling throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, and proclaiming the good news in both word and deed, through his preaching and his healing.
One of my true pleasures in life is walking on the beach, along the banks of rivers, along the piers of harbours, and by the sea. So this Gospel reading has a particular attraction, with Christ walking by the shores of the sea or lake, meeting people, getting into conversation with them, and inviting them to journey with him.
I imagine, as people listen to this Gospel reading, a number of phrases jump out immediately:
• ‘the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light’ (verse 16; cfIsaiah 9: 2);
• ‘for those who sat in the region and the shadow of death light has dawned’ (verse 16);
• ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near’ (verse 17);
• ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people’ (verse 19);
• ‘Immediately they left their nets [or the boat] and followed him’ (see verses 20, 22).
Despite the familiarity of these phrases, I am sure these are images and quotes that still leap out as people read listen to this passage afresh.
And some come back in the more familiar language of other translations and versions, such as:
• ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (verse 17, RSV);
• ‘Follow me, for I will make you fishers of men’ (verse 19, RSV).
In popular newspaper cartoons, humorous office absences are often indicated by a sign hung on the door declaring: ‘Gone Fishin’.’ Fishing in our culture is often seen by non-fishers as idleness, a sedentary past-time, taking it easy, doing nothing.
I cannot imagine it was like that for the first disciples. It was a tough career choice when you think of the night shifts, the storms, and the difficulties in finding a catch that occur time and again in the Gospels.
I do not know which was a more difficult and demanding task: being a fisher on the Sea of Galilee, or being a Disciple of Christ … especially when the call comes from someone who has withdrawn to Galilee after the arrest of his cousin, the one who publicly baptised and acclaimed him in last Sunday’s Gospel reading, Saint John the Baptist (John 1: 29-42).
Either way, the four first disciples were going to have no lazy day by the river bank, or by the shore, or for that matter as followers of Christ.
Becoming ‘fishers of men,’ ‘fishing for people,’ is going to bring these Galilean fishers into a relationship not only with Christ, but with their families, with their neighbours, with the tax collectors, with Pharisees, Sadducees and Zealots, with the powers of this world, with Gentiles, with the people who sat in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death.
Sometimes, in the Church, we do not cast our nets far enough or deep enough. No wonder then that most of the time, when we pull in those nets, we find them empty.
There is a saying that fish come in three sizes, small ones, medium ones and the ones that got away.
Too often in the Church, we know about the small ones, we are good with the medium ones, but we pay little attention to going after the ones that get away.
The image of patient fishing is worth working with. Ernest Hemingway, in The Old Man and The Sea, says ‘Il faut (d’abord) durer … It is necessary, above all else, to endure. It is necessary to endure.’
The great Anglican writer Izaak Walton (1593-1683) is known not only for his biographies of John Donne, George Herbert and Richard Hooker, but also as the author of The Compleat Angler. Walton points out that fishing can teach us patience and discipline. Fishing takes practice, preparation, discipline; like discipleship, it has to be learned, and learning requires practice before there are any results. And sometimes, whether it is fishing in a river or fishing in the sea, the best results can come from going against the current.
Walking along piers in north Dublin, in Wexford or in Greek islands, I sometimes see the careful early morning work of the crews in the trawlers and fishing boats, and I am reminded that good fishing does not come about by accident. It also requires paying attention to the nets, moving them carefully, mending them, cleaning them after each and every use, hanging them out to dry.
And fishing is also about noticing the weather, watching the wind and the clouds. Good fishing takes account of contexts … it is incarnational.
Time and again in the Gospels, the Kingdom of God is compared to a huge net cast over different numbers of people and species. We are the ones called to cast that net, and we cannot hang any sign outside on our office or rectory doors saying: ‘Gone Fishin’.’
Nor can we stand by the bank or on the shore, content with two sizes of fish. We are called to go after the ones that others let get away, not just those who come to Church regularly, but also those people who sit in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death.
When they take a break from their fishing in this reading, the disciples follow Jesus, and he goes into both the places of worship and ‘among the people’ (verse 23). The word used here for the people – the people who live in darkness and the people Jesus journeys among – is the word λαός (laós), and it means not just the people, but the rowdy, the masses, the populace; sometimes it even has vulgar connotations.
So we, me and you, are here for our neighbours, those around us. We are here to walk by the waterside, to walk with the people, to cast our nets, but to cast them with those people. Who knows what we can do as we walk together in the time ahead of us.
There will be days when the fishing seems pointless. There will be days when we are happy with our work together. And as we work together, hopefully, there will be days when we are surprised with what we can achieve together, all in Christ’s name and all for the sake of the one that otherwise might get away.
Today’s Prayers (Sunday 25 January 2026, Epiphany III):
The theme this week (25-31 January 2026) in Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Connections That Last’ (pp 22-23). This theme is introduced today with Reflections from Paula de Mello Alves, a Brazilian lawyer and theologian, Executive Secretary of the Southern Diocese, and former co-leader of the Anglican Communion Youth Network (ACYN):
I remember when I first joined ACYN years ago, not really knowing what to expect from a worldwide network. Over time, my involvement grew, and now I’m approaching the end of my term as Global Co-Convener and Americas Regional Co-Chair.
I’ve come to realise that this platform connects much more than people involved in youth ministry. It’s a safe space where we can share our experiences as young Anglicans, learn from one another, and strengthen our work in ministry.
ACYN works with other Anglican groups, allowing us to join delegations to COP and the UN Commission on the Status of Women. Through this, I’ve seen how closely issues like creation care and gender justice are connected, especially since these challenges often affect women the most.
We’ve made great progress, but what I treasure most are the meaningful connections we've built. I’ve met wonderful friends who share the same faith and serve the Church in so many different parts of the world. That, to me, is the real beauty of ACYN – a network that connects the Anglican Communion across seven regions and reminds us that even though we are far apart, we are part of the same global family, working together in faith, hope, and love.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (Sunday 25 January 2026, Epiphany III) invites us to pray by reading and meditating on Matthew 4: 12-23.
The Collect:
Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Almighty Father,
whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world:
may your people,
illumined by your word and sacraments,
shine with the radiance of his glory,
that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed
to the ends of the earth;
for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.
Additional Collect:
God of all mercy,
your Son proclaimed good news to the poor,
release to the captives,
and freedom to the oppressed:
anoint us with your Holy Spirit
and set all your people free
to praise you in Christ our Lord.
Collect on the Eve of the Conversion of Saint Paul:
Almighty God,
who caused the light of the gospel
to shine throughout the world
through the preaching of your servant Saint Paul:
grant that we who celebrate his wonderful conversion
may follow him in bearing witness to your truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Yesterday’s Reflections
Continued Tomorrow
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
