Luke - Chapter 5

Passage

And it happened that when the crowds pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Genesareth, And saw two boats standing by the lake: but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. And getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And sitting down, he taught the crowds from the boat. Now when he had stopped speaking, he said to Simon: Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch. And Simon answered and said to him: Master, we have worked all night and have caught nothing: but at your word I will let down the net. And when they had done this, they enclosed a very great number of fish: and their net was breaking. And they signaled to their partners who were in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were almost sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was completely astonished, and all who were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken. And so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners. And Jesus said to Simon: Fear not: from now on you shall catch men. And having brought their boats to land, leaving all things, they followed him. And it happened, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy who, seeing Jesus and falling on his face, begged him, saying: Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. And stretching out his hand, he touched him, saying: I will. Be cleansed. And immediately the leprosy left him. And he ordered him to tell no one, but: Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing as Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. But news of him spread all the more: and great crowds came together to hear and to be healed by him of their sicknesses. And he withdrew into the desert and prayed. And it happened on a certain day, as he sat teaching, that there were also Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. And behold, men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed: and they were trying to bring him in and lay him before him. And when they could not find a way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up onto the roof and let him down through the tiles with his bed into the midst before Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said: Man, your sins are forgiven you. And the scribes and Pharisees began to think, saying: Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? And when Jesus knew their thoughts, he answered and said to them: What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven you; or to say: Arise and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins (he said to the paralyzed man), I say to you: Arise, take up your bed and go into your house. And immediately rising up before them, he took up the bed on which he lay: and he went away to his own house, glorifying God. And all were astonished: and they glorified God. And they were filled with fear, saying: We have seen wonderful things today. And after these things, he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth: and he said to him: Follow me. And leaving all things, he rose up and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of tax collectors and of others who were at table with them. But the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying to his disciples: Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? And Jesus answered and said to them: Those who are well do not need the physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the just, but sinners to penance. And they said to him: Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees likewise; but yours eat and drink? And he said to them: Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them: then they shall fast in those days. And he also told them a parable: No one puts a piece from a new garment upon an old garment: otherwise he both tears the new, and the piece taken from the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins: otherwise the new wine will burst the wineskins; and it will be spilled and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins: and both are preserved. And no one, after drinking old wine, at once wants new: for he says: The old is better.