Photo was taken yesterday at the 50th Eucharistic Congress in the RDS, Dublin (Irl)

This is a replica of a boat discovered in 1986 and it has been traced right back to the end of 1st century around the time of Jesus. It measures eight metres by two metres. The experts say it was either a rowing boat or a sailing boat, was used for fishing or transporting people. It would have been quite similar to the boats mentioned in our Gospel stories. The boat was part of an exhibition at the Eucharistic Congress, replicating the way things were at the time of Jesus.

If you get to the RDS this week there are many things to see and do, but this Galilean exhibition is certainly worth checking out.

Thought on Thursday – June – 14/06/2012

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.” “Master” Simon replied, “We worked hard all night long and caught nothing but if you say so I will pay out the nets.” And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear. ~Luke 5:4-7

There is a lovely message to this story. We can all relate to times when we feel let down by God, when we have tried everything and caught nothing. During these turbulent economic times there is a sense that at times we are on our own. It is easy and tempting to blame others and even easier to throw in the towel. Yet the call is to put our trust in God. God never abandons us or never tries to outsmart us. There are already enough in life trying to do this. Once we are willing to take the initiative and put our trust in God, then we are ready to face anything life may throw at us. It was good that Simon questioned, it was good that he trusted and in the end he got far more than he expected. So can we.