"Go Away From Me, Lord, For I Am A Sinful Man!"

James Martin, S J  wrote a book titled: Jesus A Pilgrimage.  It is a wonderful book about one of his tours in the Holy Land.  I have been reading it sporadically for some time now.  

In the section, I was reading the other day, he was writing about when Jesus was in the boat with Simon — not yet Peter — and told him to put his nets in the deep water.

I’ll call it one amazing catch.

Martin’s focus was not on the catch; but on what Peter said upon seeing the nets so full. 

⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ (Lk.5) 

Then Martin poses a wonder that has never occurred to me.

"Isn’t it odd to move so quickly from telling a person to leave to wanting to follow him?  More basically, why would Peter ask Jesus to “go away”?  Why would we?”  

(p.159)

It is an extraordinary wonder.

Why would we ever ask God/Jesus to go away from us?

I will leave that wonder to you for some thought.